Public comment period begins for proposed Strategic Highway Safety Plan update

File Photo/Courtesy ADOT

The public is encouraged to review the draft proposal and provide comments by Sept. 6

Contributed Article/Courtesy ADOT

ARIZONA – The Arizona Department of Transportation is seeking public input on a proposed update to its Strategic Highway Safety Plan and a draft of the state’s first Active Transportation Safety Action Plan, which aims to reduce pedestrian and bicyclist fatalities where those activities intersect with the state highway system.

Both proposals are available for review at azdot.gov/SafetyPlan. Comments are welcome through Friday, Sept. 6.

Federal regulations require each state to have a Strategic Highway Safety Plan for reducing fatalities and serious injuries on public roadways and to update that plan every five years. ADOT leads the development of this plan in partnership with local, state, federal, and other stakeholders so that all highway safety programs can leverage resources and work together effectively to enhance safety.

The proposed SHSP update was developed after holding a series of public meetings and receiving public input earlier this year. A summary of what was heard is available in the Public Involvement Summary. The plan focuses on the following emphasis areas that account for a large percentage of life-altering crashes in Arizona: human behavior; intersections; lane departures; vulnerable road users, such as pedestrians and cyclists; and incidents on tribal lands.

ADOT and its partners propose dozens of strategies based on public and stakeholder input, data analysis, and previously completed research and planning. These include:

improving visibility of vulnerable road users, all other users, and roadway features;
incorporating vulnerable road users more prominently in the planning, design, and programming process;
reducing high-risk movements by drivers;
conducting high-visibility enforcement at intersections; and
promoting safety at crash scenes.

The proposed update is based on the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Safe System Approach, which looks at all factors affecting safety and emphasizes a shared responsibility for improving safety on roadways.

ADOT and its partners also are developing Arizona’s first Active Transportation Safety Action Plan to address a rise in pedestrian and bicyclist fatalities in Arizona, the vast majority of which occur on local roadways. This proposal recommends location-specific projects along the state highway system aimed at improving safety for pedestrians and bicyclists.

You also can provide input on both proposals through Friday, Sept. 6, in these ways: