Subject:
Title
Resolution adopting Forward Pinellas’s Safe Streets Pinellas Action Plan and a “Vision Zero” approach to County decision-making, policy development, project planning, and implementation.
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Recommended Action:
Recommended Action
Approval of a resolution adopting Forward Pinellas’s Safe Streets Pinellas Action Plan and a “Vision Zero” approach to eliminate traffic fatalities and serious injuries on the Pinellas County transportation network by 2045 for the health, safety, and welfare of our citizens and visitors. The resolution accomplishes the following:
• Adopts the Safe Streets Pinellas Action Plan in furtherance of Vision Zero, a strategy to eliminate all traffic fatalities and severe injuries, while increasing safe, healthy equitable mobility for all.
• Establishes the consideration of Vision Zero in County decision-making, policies, project planning and implementation.
• Commits to continued County collaboration with Forward Pinellas and the Safe Streets Pinellas working group to implement, review, and revise the Action Plan.
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Strategic Plan:
Ensure Public Health, Safety and Welfare
2.1 Provide planning, coordination, prevention, and protective services to ensure a safe and secure community.
2.5 Enhance pedestrian and bicycle safety.
Foster Continual Economic Growth and Vitality
4.4 Invest in infrastructure to meet current and future needs.
4.5 Provide safe and effective transportation systems to support the efficient flow of motorists, commerce, and regional connectivity.
Summary:
Summary
The approval of this Resolution will formally adopt the Forward Pinellas Safe Streets Action Plan (Action Plan) and a Vision Zero policy for the County. Adoption of this plan and policy will commit the County to continued support and coordination with Forward Pinellas in the implementation, review and revision of the Safe Streets Action Plan.
The approval of this Resolution will help further the County’s efforts to address the public health crisis of transportation related fatalities and serious injuries and their disproportionate impact to minority and low-income communities. Existing efforts with local partners include: the award-winning Move Safe, Pinellas initiative to enhance bicyclist and pedestrian safety and reduce crashes and fatalities through the distribution of safety devices and educational materials to vulnerable users; the Complete Streets Corridor Evaluation to advance a transportation system that is context-sensitive, serves the needs of all users and promotes safety, quality of life, and economic development through the prioritization of corridors for multimodal improvements; and the Linking Lealman Action Plan to provide complete streets and improve mobility, transportation infrastructure, safety, and quality of life in the Lealman Community Redevelopment Area (CRA).
The approval of this Resolution also supports the Board of County Commissioners Resolution No. 20-040A adopting a “Health in all Policies” approach to County decision-making, policy development and implementation.
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Background Information:
Vision Zero is the concept that no loss of life is acceptable on our transportation network, and decision-making, policy, planning and implementation should be driven by this long-range goal. Vision Zero recognizes that humans make mistakes and therefore the transportation system should be designed to minimize the consequences of human error. The Vision Zero approach is fundamentally different from the traditional traffic safety approach in American communities in six key ways:
1) Reframes traffic deaths as preventable.
2) Integrates human failing into the approach.
3) Focuses on preventing fatal and severe crashes rather than eliminating all crashes.
4) Aims to establish safe systems rather than relying on individual responsibility.
5) Applies data driven decision making.
6) Establishes road safety as a social equity issue.
Forward Pinellas created the Safe Streets Pinellas Action Plan in partnership with local governments and community partners. The Action Plan uses the Vision Zero approach and establishes a goal of zero deaths and serious injuries related to transportation crashes by the year 2045. The Action Plan also identified a High Injury Network (HIN) that is the site of 42.0% of all crashes and 47.0% of all Killed or Severely Injured (KSI) crashes. County roadways make up 22.0% of the HIN. Approximately 30.0% of the HIN is located in unincorporated Pinellas County, and approximately 20.0% of all crashes and 28.0% of KSI crashes occur in unincorporated Pinellas County. The majority (73.0%) of the HIN falls within or runs through a Community of Concern (Environmental Justice areas as defined in Advantage Pinellas), which compromises only 32.0% of the County’s geographic area.
The Forward Pinellas Board adopted a resolution supporting the Safe Streets Pinellas Action Plan on March 10, 2021. St. Pete Beach was the first municipality to adopt a resolution in support of Safe Streets Pinellas on May 26, 2021. Other municipalities currently considering a Safe Streets Pinellas resolution include: Dunedin, Belleair Beach, Clearwater, Indian Rocks Beach, Largo, Oldsmar, Pinellas Park, Safety Harbor, Seminole, Treasure Island and Tarpon Springs.
The Safe Streets Pinellas Action Plan furthers the goals of the Move Safe, Pinellas initiative, the Complete Streets Corridor Evaluation, the Linking Lealman Action Plan, and the Health in All Policies Resolution.
Fiscal Impact:
N/A
Staff Member Responsible:
Evan Johnson, AICP, Planning Division Manager
Partners:
Forward Pinellas
Attachments:
Safe Streets Action Plan
Resolution