OVRDC Asking for Public Comment on Draft Regional Safety Plan
According to National Center for Health Statistics, in 2021 an estimated 5.4 million roadway users across the United States sustained crash injuries requiring medical care, approximately 15,000 people every day.
To address these statistics, the Ohio Valley Regional Development Commission (OVRDC) is in the process of drafting a Regional Safety Action Plan. The goal of the action plan is to help develop a culture of safety, focused on improving five elements of the transportation system including safe road users, safe vehicles, safe speeds, safe roads, and post-crash care.
The foundation of this plan begins with a detailed evaluation of existing crash data, focusing on corridors within each county and at the regional level that exhibit the highest crash frequencies and severities. By prioritizing these sites, the plan identifies areas most in need of intervention, encouraging resources to be allocated effectively to reduce crash rates and related injuries.
OVRDC is asking for public comments on the Regional Safety Action Draft Plan, now through January 3, 2025. Click here to review the draft plan and submit your feedback via email.
Public engagement is a core component of the Regional Safety Action Plan. Early engagement activities that informed the draft plan included a regional survey to assess community safety concerns and gauge comfort levels across different modes of travel, including walking, biking, and driving. To further enhance understanding of local priorities, county, regional, and Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) representatives used a stakeholder input map to identify priority locations based on local knowledge, highlighting specific intersections, road segments, or corridors that may benefit from safety improvements.
Once public comments are reviewed and incorporated into the completed report, the finished plan will help identify safety solutions at high-risk corridors and intersections. This Safety Action Plan also includes resources and funding guidance to assist regional stakeholders in securing funds for implementing recommended transportation safety improvements and for further studying these recommendations.
The OVRDC study area for the Regional Safety Action Draft Plan is limited to the OVRDC Regional Transportation Planning Organization (RTPO) service area of eleven southern Ohio counties Adams, Brown, Fayette, Gallia, Highland, Jackson, Lawrence, Pike, Ross, Scioto and Vinton. This report was funded in part through grants from the Federal Highway Administration Safe Streets for All funding.
Questions or comments about the Regional Safety Action Draft Plan should be directed to Jacob Taylor, Transportation Planning Specialist, by email or by calling the office at 740-947-2853, before January 3, 2025, at 4:00 pm. Additional comments will not be considered after this date/time.
