Safer Streets in Incline Village: New Traffic Measures Improve Pedestrian Safety
October 20, 2026 | Member Submitted
Do you know what a Leading Pedestrian Interval (LPI) is? It’s a slight head start that gives the walker a few seconds to step off the curb and into the crosswalk before vehicle traffic starts moving in the same direction. This slight timing difference increases pedestrian visibility to drivers and allows them to begin crossing before right-turning vehicles proceed, and has been shown to reduce pedestrian-vehicle accidents by 13-60%.
[https://highways.dot.gov/safety/proven-safety-countermeasures/leading-pedestrian-interval]
Leading Pedestrian Intervals are now integrated into stoplights in Incline. According to Roxanna Dunn, it is one of several safety action items discussed in Citizens Advisory Board meetings with Washoe County, NDOT, and TRPA representatives. Roxanna was the CAB Chair from 2024-2026.
Residents also requested a new four-way stop at Southwood and Village to increase safety. A secondary safety benefit of this light is that it can slow down the speed with which vehicles approach the stoplight at Village and Tahoe Blvd, a busy intersection. Thanks to Alex Wolfson, Dave Solaro, and Alexis Hill of Washoe County for their responsiveness to Incline concerns.
Many thanks to resident Helen Neff, who was very seriously injured when struck by a car in the Southwood/Northwood crosswalk several years ago. Helen has turned her misfortune into a tireless campaign to improve pedestrian safety in our town. Helen brought LPIs to the county’s attention, and we are grateful for her perseverance. Helen is responsible for bringing the Take It Slow signs to Incline Village, with the help of Take Care Tahoe, takecaretahoe.org
The Nevada Department of Transportation has adopted the Federal Highway Administration’s Safe System Approach. It is founded on the principle that no one should be killed or injured when using the road system. For more information on NDOT’s strategic plan for safety go to https://www.dot.nv.gov/safety/nevada-strategic-highway-safety-plan.