Tampa, Florida is leading the way in using smart technology to reduce accidents for all road users, and particularly, to make the city’s streets safer for pedestrians. The city launched a pilot of its new system at more than 200 downtown intersections in 2021, and is now ready to roll it out across the rest of the city.
Brandon Campbell is Tampa’s Smart Mobility Manager, and is heading up the project. He told local radio in Tampa that implementing the new system, which is called Leading Pedestrian Interval, would reduce pedestrian and vehicle crashes by 10 to 20 percent.
Saving lives in Tampa – and beyond
Data from the US Department of Transport shows that there were 7,388 pedestrian deaths in the US in 2021, the highest number since the early 1980s. At least 100,000 were injured seriously enough to merit that they speak with a lawyer for professional legal support.
The implication is clear. If the Leading Pedestrian Interval system were to roll out across the US, it could easily save about 1,000 lives per year and prevent 10,000 injuries, at a conservative estimate.
What is Leading Pedestrian Interval?
The Leading Pedestrian Interval system allows pedestrians an extra few seconds to cross roads before cars are given the green light to proceed. The exact timing depends on a range of factors including the width of the road and the typical weight of vehicular and foot traffic, but is between three and seven seconds.
Mr Campbell says independent safety studies combined with the empirical data from the pilot scheme show that the strategy works and can contribute to making roadways safer for all.
Increasing foot traffic in America’s cities
It has long been observed that fewer people walk in US cities than elsewhere in the world. Cities like Copenhagen in Denmark and Trieste in Italy are leading the way in encouraging residents and visitors to forego their cars, and one way to do that is to make the city’s infrastructure more pedestrian-friendly.
Mr Campbell commented that making the roadways safer will encourage more people to walk, leading to reduced carbon emissions, less traffic congestion and a healthier population. These are aims that every US city can get behind, and the rest of the country will be watching the roll out in Tampa closely.