Las Vegas Mayor Shelley Berkley: How Las Vegas Is Using AI to Make Busy Crosswalks Safer

Shelley Berkley is presenting Las Vegasʼ downtown crosswalk initiative as a straightforward safety improvement for one of the cityʼs busiest pedestrian areas. It calls for installing AI-powered pedestrian detection signals at 16 intersections around Fremont Street, including the crossing at Las Vegas Boulevard and Fremont Street. The goal is to move away from the traditional push-button system and make crossings more reliable in places where foot traffic is constant.

The city has secured $1.4 million from the Federal Highway Administration to launch the project later this year and test it over two years. The program is intentionally reversible. If the technology proves effective, it can be expanded. If not, the city can return to the old method without hesitation.

Fremont Street was chosen as the testing ground. In crowded areas, people often assume someone else has already pressed the button, which can result in no one doing so. Erin Breen, director of the Road Equity Alliance at the University of Nevada, points out that this is exactly the type of environment where detection-based signals can prevent missed crossings and improve pedestrian flow.

Some critics question why Las Vegas needs artificial intelligence when people can simply press the walk button. The cityʼs defense is that the button only works if someone consistently uses it, and in a crowded environment, that assumption often fails. By framing the issue around resident experience, the initiative comes as a way to ensure crossings function reliably.

Erin Breen notes that similar systems are already in place in more than one hundred cities, giving Las Vegas a benchmark for comparison. Shelley Berkley has made the evaluation criteria straightforward: Does the technology improve safety and usability enough to justify expansion across the city? 

Rather than relying only on enforcement or public awareness campaigns, municipalities are experimenting with infrastructure that adapts automatically to how people move through public spaces. If the Fremont Street test proves successful, Las Vegas could use the results to guide future investments in smarter traffic systems that reduce friction for pedestrians while improving safety in high-density areas.

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