Department of Transportation Pilot Program Will Apply Pedestrian Signals to City Cyclists

A new DOT program will test allowing cyclists to get a head-start at intersections.

Some city intersections have been modified with "leading pedestrian interval" (LPI) signals that allow pedestrians to begin crossing the street a few seconds before the traffic signal changes. Adding to that program, 50 intersections will now receive temporary signage allowing bicyclists to also follow the earlier pedestrian signal. This results in a safer process that bicyclists already naturally follow and decreases pinch points where turning drivers encounter both pedestrians and bicyclists attempting to cross the intersection.

The intersections targeted in the pilot program in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens are only a few of the city's LPI intersections, so bicyclists should be aware that crossing is only permitted at intersections with the new "Bicycles Use Ped Signal" signs.