The Broward Metropolitan Planning Organization has partnered with the county to create the Broward Safety Action Plan with the goal of identifying solutions to prevent traffic crashes locally.
The project is being funded with a $5 million federal grant and has the lofty ambition of laying out a roadmap for eliminating fatal and severe injury-causing crashes.
"We're looking at lighting, how does lighting affect safety. Mid-block crossing, school zones, traffic intrusion into neighborhoods, railroad crossing and trespassing, speed management. We're looking at a variety of different focus areas," said James Cromar, the project manager and a deputy executive director of the Broward MPO.
Data shows that 77% of Broward’s fatal and severe injury causing crashes happen on just 6% of its roads. Cromar says there are efforts that transportation planners can focus on that impact overall safety on the road.
“Let’s stop using the word ‘accident.’ Traffic crashes are preventable. We can make our streets and roads safer.”
The plan will install community liaisons, which will work directly in the priority corridors to provide a variety of input opportunities that are convenient for residents. Liaisons will collect safety data utilizing questionnaires and encourage workshop participation to create highly a visible and well-publicized traffic safety messages to raise awareness.
The plan is expected to be completed by the middle of 2025.
In the meantime, the MPO and County will be holding a series of public involvement meetings this month and next to gather insights from the public to factor into their recommendations.
A map of the areas can be accessed here and the priority corridors are listed below:
- US 441 in Plantation and Fort Lauderdale
- Broward Boulevard in Fort Lauderdale
- Stirling Road in Dania Beach
- SW 10th Street in Deerfield Beach
- West Broward Boulevard in Plantation
- NW 31st Avenue in Lauderdale Lakes
- NW 19th Street in Lauderdale Lakes
- Sistrunk Boulevard in Fort Lauderdale
- Royal Palm Boulevard in Coral Springs
- Rock Island Road in Margate
- Taft Street in Hollywood
READ MORE: What will transportation in 2050 look like? Broward County is making plans
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