Planning and Safety: A Comprehensive and Collaborative Process Michael D. Meyer, P.E., Professor School of Civil and Environmental Engineering Georgia Institute of Technology

Institutionally, we often meet challenges through mode-oriented organizational, process & funding silos Highway Trust Fund Sec 148 DOT Local Is this any way to develop the best comprehensive safety program?

And, even inside SDOT’s……

My Thesis Although the focus of this meeting and your professional interest is mostly on how to develop a comprehensive highway safety plan, you can have strong leverage in influencing larger levels of investment that occur through the transportation planning and programming processes.

What skills do transportation planners bring to the table? -- Know the transportation process and the funding “system” -- Usually have good outreach and public information capabilities -- Comfortable with analysis and modeling -- Good at providing the larger context -- Tend to have a longer term vision -- Many are entrepreneurial and willing to be innovative

Generic Steps in Planning Environmental Quality Economic Development Mobility and Accessibility Vision Goals and Objectives Performance Measures Long- Range Plan Implementation of Strategies Short- (3-5 year) Range Program Alternative Improvement Strategies Data Analysis Methods Other Sources for Project Ideas System Operations Evaluation Policies Operations strategies Infrastructure projects Studies Regulations Education and awareness Enforcement Financing strategies Partnerships Collaborative undertakings Policies Operations strategies Infrastructure projects Studies Regulations Education and awareness Enforcement Financing strategies Partnerships Collaborative undertakings Understanding the Problem

Steps in Transportation Planning Environmental Quality Economic Development Mobility and Accessibility Vision Goals and Objectives Performance Measures Long- Range Plan Implementation of Strategies Short- (3-5 year) Range Program Alternative Improvement Strategies Data Analysis Methods Other Sources for Project Ideas System Operations Safety Included in Vision Policies Operations strategies Infrastructure projects Studies Regulations Education and awareness Enforcement Financing strategies Partnerships Collaborative undertakings Evaluation Long- Range Plan Implementation of Strategies Alternative Improvement Strategies Policies Operations strategies Infrastructure projects Studies Regulations Education and awareness Enforcement Financing strategies Partnerships Collaborative undertakings

Steps in Transportation Planning Environmental Quality Economic Development Mobility and Accessibility Vision Goals and Objectives Performance Measures Long- Range Plan Implementation of Strategies Short- (3-5 year) Range Program Alternative Improvement Strategies Data Analysis Methods Other Sources for Project Ideas System Operations Policies Operations strategies Infrastructure projects Studies Regulations Education and awareness Enforcement Financing strategies Partnerships Collaborative undertakings Evaluation Long- Range Plan Implementation of Strategies Alternative Improvement Strategies Policies Operations strategies Infrastructure projects Studies Regulations Education and awareness Enforcement Financing strategies Partnerships Collaborative undertakings Safety Performance Measures Safety Stated in Goals

Steps in Transportation Planning Environmental Quality Economic Development Mobility and Accessibility Vision Goals and Objectives Performance Measures Long- Range Plan Implementation of Strategies Short- (3-5 year) Range Program Alternative Improvement Strategies Data Analysis Methods Other Sources for Project Ideas System Operations Safety Data Continuously Collected Safety Included in Analysis Policies Operations strategies Infrastructure projects Studies Regulations Education and awareness Enforcement Financing strategies Partnerships Collaborative undertakings Evaluation Consider Education Enforcement and Emergency Response Safety Strategies Considered

Steps in Transportation Planning Environmental Quality Economic Development Mobility and Accessibility Vision Goals and Objectives Performance Measures Long- Range Plan Implementation of Strategies Short- (3-5 year) Range Program Alternative Improvement Strategies Data Analysis Methods Other Sources for Project Ideas System Operations Safety Strategies Included Safety Part of Criteria Set Policies Operations strategies Infrastructure projects Studies Regulations Education and awareness Enforcement Financing strategies Partnerships Collaborative undertakings Policies Operations strategies Infrastructure projects Studies Regulations Education and awareness Enforcement Financing strategies Partnerships Collaborative undertakings Evaluation

Steps in Transportation Planning Environmental Quality Economic Development Mobility and Accessibility Vision Goals and Objectives Performance Measures Long- Range Plan Implementation of Strategies Short- (3-5 year) Range Program Alternative Improvement Strategies Data Analysis Methods Other Sources for Project Ideas System Operations Safety Integrated within Plan Safety Projects Programmed Safety Explicitly Part of Project Implementation Policies Operations strategies Infrastructure projects Studies Regulations Education and awareness Enforcement Financing strategies Partnerships Collaborative undertakings Evaluation

Steps in Transportation Planning Environmental Quality Economic Development Mobility and Accessibility Vision Goals and Objectives Performance Measures Long- Range Plan Implementation of Strategies Short- (3-5 year) Range Program Alternative Improvement Strategies Data Analysis Methods Other Sources for Project Ideas System Operations Continuous Monitoring of Safety in Operations Policies Operations strategies Infrastructure projects Studies Regulations Education and awareness Enforcement Financing strategies Partnerships Collaborative undertakings Evaluation

Steps in Transportation Planning Environmental Quality Economic Development Mobility and Accessibility Vision Goals and Objectives Performance Measures Long- Range Plan Implementation of Strategies Short- (3-5 year) Range Program Alternative Improvement Strategies Data Analysis Methods Other Sources for Project ideas System Operations Policies Operations strategies Infrastructure projects Studies Regulations Education and awareness Enforcement Financing strategies Partnerships Collaborative undertakings Policies Operations strategies Infrastructure projects Studies Regulations Education and awareness Enforcement Financing strategies Partnerships Collaborative undertakings Collaboration with safety stakeholders and the public Safety Included in Vision Safety Stated in Goals Safety Performance Measures Continuous Monitoring of Safety in Operations Safety Integrated within Plan Safety Projects Programmed Safety Explicitly Part of Project Implementation Safety Strategies Included Safety Part of Criteria set Safety Data Continuously Collected Safety Included in Analysis Consider Education Enforcement and Emergency Response Evaluation Safety Strategies Considered

Assessing Your Planning Process….. Does the vision statement for the planning process include safety? Is there at least one planning goal and at least two objectives related to safety? Are safety-related performance measures part of the set being used by the agency? Are safety-related data used in problem identification and for identifying potential solutions?

Are safety analysis tools used regularly to analyze the potential impacts of prospective strategies and actions? Are the evaluation criteria used for assessing the relative merits of different strategies and projects include safety issues? Do the products of the planning process include at least some actions that focus on transportation safety?

To the extent that a prioritization scheme is used to develop a program of action for an agency, is safety one of the priority factors? Is there a systematic monitoring process that collects data on the safety-related characteristics of transportation system performance, and feeds this information back into the planning and decision-making process? Are all of the key safety stakeholders involved in the planning process?

HSIP PL SPR NHS STP Minimum Guarantee Planning Funds

Insurance industry Automobile manufacturers Private companies Foundations Non Traditional Planning Funds

Some State Examples

Minnesota’s Statewide Plan Policy Direction  Supporting each Policy: Outcomes Expected Performance Measures Performance Targets Guidance for Use of Policy Example Strategies for Policy Implementation

Policy 7:Increase the Safety and Security of the Transportation Systems and their Users

Outcomes  Reduce crash rates, fatalities and personal injuries for all modes of transportation.  Maintain the security of travelers, freight and transportation systems.

Measures  Trunk Highway Crash Rate  Total Crashes - aviation - at-grade railroad crossings  Total Fatalities

Safety Relationship to Business Activities

Minnesota’s Prioritization Process

Minnesota’s Critical Strategy Categories

The 2005 update to the Washington Transportation Plan (WTP) is “a blueprint for transportation programs and investments.”

State of Washington Laws and Regulations Directing State Action

Florida Short Range Component and Performance Report: Focus Area--Safety By 2011, reduce the highway fatality rate on all public roads to or below 1.3 fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles traveled. By 2011, reduce the highway fatality rate on the State Highway System to or below 1.5 fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles traveled. By 2011, reduce the bicyclist fatality rate to or below 0.19 fatalities per 100,000 population. By 2011, reduce the pedestrian fatality rate to or below 2.35 fatalities per 100,000 population.

Goal: A safer and more secure transportation system for residents, businesses, and visitors Improve the safety of all modes of transportation comprising Florida’s transportation system, for all users, including roadway intersections and locations where modes intersect. Reduce the rates of motor vehicle, bicycle, and pedestrian fatalities and serious injuries through design techniques and the application of the “4 E’s” engineering, education, enforcement, and emergency response strategies.

Goal: A safer and more secure transportation system for residents, businesses, and visitors Focus resources proactively where opportunities for safety improvements are greatest, as identified by best available data and trends. Improve the security of Florida’s transportation system to deter and respond to attacks on transportation facilities or domestic targets, while ensuring mobility for all users.

Implementation Responsibility --- Involves entities outside of the transportation field and require close coordination and effective working relationships with adequate support at all levels. --- Safety lead roles involve FDOT and the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (Florida Highway Patrol) at the state level and local governments and metropolitan planning organizations at the local level.

Implementation Responsibility, cont’d --- Security lead roles involve the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the Transportation Security Administration, other designated federal agencies, and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, with FDOT and other transportation partners in a shared role focused on improving security of the transportation system.

Key Implementation Strategies Include a safety improvement element with accountability measures in all aspects of transportation, from planning through implementation and operations. Implement security policies and strategies to deter and respond to attacks on the transportation system and to deter use of the system to carry out attacks against domestic targets, while maintaining the intended function of the system.

Key Implementation Strategies, cont’d Improve the safety of roads in rural and economically distressed areas. Increase the use of intelligent transportation systems technology as a tool to improve transportation safety and security. Improve compatibility of communications and other critical equipment used by FDOT and federal, state, and local safety and security responders.

Key Implementation Strategies, cont’d Support safe and effective emergency management all levels – statewide, regional, and local – through appropriate connectivity among all elements of the transportation system and through coordinated planning among all partners. Ensure that national security transportation needs involving Florida’s military facilities can be met during normal and elevated periods in future planning for the Strategic Intermodal System.

Key Implementation Strategies, cont’d Coordinate with the U.S. DoD and other partners in planning for Strategic Highway Network (STRAHNET) and Strategic Rail Corridor Network (STRACNET) facilities that are also part of the Strategic Intermodal System (SIS) or provide direct connections between military facilities and the SIS. Implement GIS capabilities for plotting crash data and provide statewide access to all safety partners. Consider the travel information needs of Florida’s foreign visitors and non-English speaking residents where appropriate.

Road fatalities per head of population: Queensland, Fatalities per 100,000 people 0.10 BAC (1968) Front seat belts (1969) 0.08 BAC (1974) 0.05 BAC (1982) RBT (1988) RID scheme (1986) Qld Road Safety Strategy (RRW, bicycle helmets, etc (1993) Speed Management Strategy (1997) Qld Road Safety Action Plan (1996) Qld Road Safety Action Plan ( ) Steady improvements in road & vehicle engineering and emergency & medical procedures throughout the period Increased RBT (1997)

Creating Knowledge from Data Pavement Condition Road Inventory Data Bridge inventory Travel Information Travel Time Traffic counts Freight Routes Lighting Traffic Signals Pole locations Speed Zones Public Transport Routes Crash Data Data Matching Crash Maps Crash Rates Blackspots Road Safety Strategies & Policies

What can transportation planners do for safety planning? -- Data collectors and analyzers -- Synthesizers and problem identifiers -- Liaison with locals -- Help establish goals/objs -- Provide a forum for discussions and decisions on priorities -- Ties to funding -- And most importantly, they plan….

The key issue is how to cross functional responsibilities and align resources to actually implement improvements. Finding a common ground for communication Planning can provide a forum and a “push”...otherwise the silos will have a gravitational attraction