Study: Pedestrian head starts at signals reduced close calls with cars

(City of Bellevue) Traffic signal timing that gives pedestrians a five-second head start at crosswalks before a light turns green led to a significant drop in "vehicle-pedestrian close calls," a Bellevue, Washington pilot project found.

City officials looked at footage from traffic cameras at 20 intersections after pedestrian intervals were introduced. The 2020 pilot has since been expanded to 41 downtown intersections.

Video analytics helped officials evaluate footage from intersection traffic cameras and showed a 42% reduction in vehicle-pedestrian close calls after pedestrian intervals were introduced, according to a city news release. Read the full article here.