New traffic signals debut on Lafitte Greenway bike trail in Mid-City

How it works: The beacons show instructions for pedestrians and motorists.

• When someone on the Lafitte Greenway presses the button to cross the street, officials say, the beacons cycle to an all-red phase requiring motorists to completely stop.
• Other signals include "slow down" and "stop first and proceed with caution."

The big picture: New Orleans has the highest rate of fatal bicyclist crashes among major metro areas in the U.S.

• There were on average 9.9 fatal bike crashes for every million residents here between 2017-2021, per data from the League of American Bicyclists via the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration — up 11% from 2012-2016.
• Nationally, the average was 2.7 fatal bicycle crashes per million residents during the same time frame, writes Axios' Alex Fitzpatrick.

Go deeper:

New Orleans leads country in bicyclist deaths per capita

New Orleans cycling advocates demand change amid cyclist fatality spike