Lack of Pedestrian Signals Puts New Orleanians at Risk

New Orleans' laissez faire attitude towards pedestrian signals at stop lights is leading to injuries and deaths at intersections around the city. Jessica Williams of The Advocate reports that a lack of funding and choices made by city officials to "narrowly interpret" federal guidelines on signalization requirements has created a situation where four-fifths of intersections in the city with stop lights don't include the accompanying walk/don't walk pedestrian signals.

More people died in New Orleans after being hit by cars than in any other city in Louisiana from 2013 to 2015. In four of the past five years, the city had more than twice the rate of pedestrian injuries as Jefferson and East Baton Rouge parishes, the report said. Both of those parishes have larger populations than New Orleans.

Few pedestrian signals exist in New Orleans partly because the city’s Department of Public Works used “gut calls” and anecdotal evidence to decide where to put them, a move [Inspector General Ed Quatrevaux] said ignored best practices.

“The result was arbitrary departmental practices that discouraged the installation of pedestrian crossing signals and made New Orleans a more dangerous place for pedestrians,” the report said.

Williams reports that new funds for pedestrian signalization is proposed as part of the mayor's upcoming budget, however it will still fall short of covering all signalized intersections in the city.