The City of Atlanta has installed more than 100 Leading Pedestrian Intervals (LPIs) at traffic signals across the city as part of an ongoing effort to reduce collisions between vehicles and people on foot. Hodgins & Kiber, an Atlanta personal injury firm representing pedestrians injured in traffic collisions, says the expansion reflects a meaningful, if partial, step toward safer streets in a city that continues to see a significant number of serious pedestrian crashes each year.
An LPI gives pedestrians a three- to seven-second head start into a crosswalk before the traffic signal turns green for vehicles, allowing them to establish their presence in the intersection before turning traffic begins moving. According to the Atlanta Department of Transportation, the treatment can reduce crashes of all types at an intersection by 10 to 20 percent. "That's your indication to go ahead and get started, to enter the intersection," Cole Smith of ATLDOT told Atlanta News First earlier this year. "You should be safe in that moment, and it also allows drivers to see you before making a right or left turn."
The LPI rollout is one piece of a broader set of pedestrian infrastructure projects underway across the city, including protected crossings, mid-block crosswalks with rectangular rapid flashing beacons, and corridor redesigns funded in part through the city's Moving Atlanta Forward infrastructure bond. The Atlanta Department of Transportation operates these efforts under its Vision Zero program, a citywide initiative aimed at eliminating traffic fatalities and serious injuries through safer street design and speed management, with a target date of 2040.
Local advocacy groups have noted that infrastructure improvements, while meaningful, have not been completed as quickly or as broadly as originally planned. As of a recent estimate, only a portion of the safe streets and sidewalk projects funded under the 2022 infrastructure bond have been completed to date, and some corridors with a history of serious pedestrian crashes are still awaiting redesign.
Peachtree Street in downtown Atlanta has drawn particular attention from safety advocates. The corridor previously featured posts and rubber curbs as part of a pilot program designed to slow traffic and protect pedestrians, a treatment removed in 2022 during a repaving project. City officials have indicated that a full redesign of the corridor is not expected until after the 2026 World Cup, a timeline that has drawn questions from local officials, including Atlanta City Council President Doug Shipman, about the pace of the city's broader safety commitments.
"Signal timing changes like this are exactly the kind of low-cost, high-impact fix that should be happening at intersections across the city," said a spokesperson for Hodgins & Kiber. "But a three-second head start doesn't fix a road that was built for speed instead of safety. For the corridors that are still waiting on redesign, pedestrians are dealing with the same risks they always have."
Georgia law generally allows pedestrians who are struck by a vehicle to pursue compensation when a driver's negligence contributed to the crash, though Georgia's comparative fault rules can affect the outcome depending on the circumstances. Evidence in these cases, including traffic signal data, witness accounts, and video footage, can be time-sensitive, and firms handling these claims often stress the importance of a prompt investigation.
Hodgins & Kiber represents pedestrians and other injured individuals throughout Atlanta and the surrounding area in personal injury claims arising from motor vehicle collisions. More information about the firm's work in this area is available at attorneyatl.com/atlanta/pedestrian-accident-lawyer.http://attorneyatl.com/atlanta/pedestrian-accident-lawyer.
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Hodgins & Kiber, LLC
Hodgins & Kiber, LLC
404) 975-1467
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1720 Peachtree Street NW Suite 575
Atlanta, Georgia 30309