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Leading Pedestrian Intervals (LPI) / Vision Zero Safety Study / Signal Phasing and Timing / Traffic Violence

Council File 23-1210

Under review — the city has expanded leading pedestrian intervals to over 2,000 intersections and is studying related safety tools like scramble crosswalks and turn restrictions, but the Transportation Committee is still evaluating LADOT's August 2026 implementation report before final decisions move forward.

Introduced
2023-10-27
Last changed
2026-09-15
CFMS file status
File open See note on file status
Expires
2028-09-14
Committee
Transportation Committee
Mover
BOB BLUMENFIELD
Second
HUGO SOTO­-MARTÍNEZ

This is the City Clerk's status for the council file itself, not the outcome of the measure. A file often stays open after the Council has already adopted an item. The summary above reflects the latest recorded action.

Brief

This motion, introduced by Councilmembers Bob Blumenfield, Eunisses Hernandez, and Nithya Raman, directs the Department of Transportation to conduct a Vision Zero safety study focused on leading pedestrian intervals (LPI)—a traffic signal phasing technique that gives pedestrians a head start before vehicles enter an intersection—and to review signal phasing and timing citywide. The motion was adopted by Council on January 9, 2024, by a vote of 13-0-2. As of September 2026, the DOT has submitted a report that is pending review in the Transportation Committee.

Full summary

Leading pedestrian intervals are a proven traffic-safety tool that allows pedestrians to begin crossing an intersection a few seconds before vehicles are allowed to move, reducing conflict and improving pedestrian visibility. This motion tasks the Department of Transportation with studying the effectiveness and feasibility of expanding LPI and related signal timing strategies across Los Angeles as part of the City's Vision Zero initiative to eliminate traffic deaths and severe injuries. It also directs DOT to examine scramble crosswalks, No Turn on Red restrictions, pedestrian recall, and free-running signal operation as a suite of tools to reduce pedestrian-vehicle conflicts citywide. In response to Council's January 2024 directive, LADOT General Manager Laura Rubio-Cornejo submitted a detailed report in August 2026 describing the department's current practices and proposed next steps. On LPI, the report notes that what began as a 22-location pilot in 2016 has grown to more than 2,000 intersections citywide. LADOT now uses a formula from a 2022 Transportation Research Board study to calculate appropriate LPI duration and will update its written guidelines to formalize that approach. On scramble crosswalks, LADOT operates crossings in Hollywood, near USC and UCLA, and in Venice and Westlake, but proposes revising its criteria to prioritize high pedestrian volume as the primary trigger rather than crash history, since other tools such as LPI and turn restrictions can address lower-volume collision patterns with less added delay. On No Turn on Red, LADOT is evaluating the measure at 20 intersections near schools and plans to develop expanded guidelines with quantitative thresholds, particularly for locations with high numbers of vulnerable pedestrians including children and older adults. On pedestrian recall—which automatically triggers the walk signal without requiring button presses—LADOT temporarily implemented the feature at 1,360 intersections during the COVID-19 pandemic and now plans to permanently retain it at appropriate locations, assessed through a newly convened working group. A key operational limitation the report identifies is that LADOT's existing systems, including its Advanced Transportation System and Coordination software and a forthcoming Cartegraph asset management platform, do not readily support batch querying of signal timing data across the network. As a result, any timing modifications must be made intersection by intersection. The Cartegraph system is expected to partially roll out in June 2027. Introduced on October 27, 2023, by Blumenfield, Hernandez, and Raman with a second by Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martinez, the motion was approved by the Transportation Committee on December 6, 2023, and adopted by the full Council on January 9, 2024, by a vote of 13-0-2. LADOT's August 2026 report was referred back to the Transportation Committee on September 15, 2026, where it remains pending. Neighborhood councils in North Westwood and Studio City submitted community impact statements in early 2024, reflecting active community interest in the initiative.

Activity (11)

  • 2026-09-15 Department of Transportation document(s) referred to Transportation Committee.
  • 2026-09-14 Document submitted by Department of Transportation, dated August 17, 2026.
  • 2024-05-02 Community Impact Statement submitted by North Westwood Neighborhood Council.
  • 2024-02-08 Community Impact Statement submitted by North Westwood Neighborhood Council.
  • 2024-02-04 Community Impact Statement submitted by Studio City Neighborhood Council.
  • 2024-01-10 Council action final.
  • 2024-01-09 Council adopted item, subject to reconsideration, pursuant to Council Rule 51.
  • 2024-01-05 City Clerk scheduled item for Council on January 9, 2024.
  • 2023-12-06 Transportation Committee approved item(s) .
  • 2023-12-01 Transportation Committee scheduled item for committee meeting on December 6, 2023.
  • 2023-10-27 Motion referred to Transportation Committee.

Documents (18)

Council votes (1)

  • 2024-01-09 Adopted — 13-0-2 · Regular

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