Stayton planning commission recommends city council adopt safety action plan to pursue federal implementation grants

The Stayton Planning Commission voted to recommend that the City Council adopt a Safety Action Plan developed for the city by Kittelson and Associates, a transportation planning and engineering firm. The plan documents a Safe System approach to reduce deaths and serious injuries, prioritizes near-term projects and establishes performance metrics required to pursue USDOT implementation grants.

Kittelson project manager Nick Gross told the commission the plan focuses on city-owned streets within the city limits and is designed to meet the federal Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) grant program requirements so the city can pursue implementation grants later. Gross said adoption of the plan is a required first step before seeking USDOT implementation funding.

Kittelson transportation planner Amy Griffiths summarized the technical analysis used to identify risk and priority locations. Using the most recent five years of Oregon Department of Transportation crash data within the study area, the consultants developed a composite high-injury and high-risk network by combining crash history, roadway characteristics and exposure factors. The plan highlights corridors with overlapping risk and crash history, including sections of Golf Club Road, Washington Street, Cascade Highway and First Avenue, and identifies five priority sites for location-specific treatments.

The plan recommends a mix of systemic (citywide, lower-cost) and location-specific countermeasures. Systemic recommendations include improving intersection advance warning signage, updating the city’s development code to require safety analysis and mitigation, filling gaps in sidewalks and bicycle facilities, adopting context-sensitive roadway design standards, and using dynamic speed feedback signs. Location-specific suggestions include adding sidewalks and bike lanes on collector streets such as Locust Street, targeted crossing enhancements and pedestrian refuges on First Avenue near the community center and library, raised intersections, access management where appropriate, painted intersections, and potential roundabouts at select intersections. The plan also outlines potential pilot (quick-build) projects and design refinements.

Kittelson emphasized the role of a “safe system” framework that pairs engineering with education and enforcement. The consultants recommended tracking both implementation measures (how many recommended treatments are installed) and outcome measures (annual crash counts, fatal and serious injury counts) so the city can report progress toward a Vision Zero-style goal and meet SS4A performance requirements.

Public commenters raised implementation concerns. An unidentified school bus driver asked that future designs include school-bus drivers in discussion, noting curb extensions can be difficult to navigate with a 40-foot bus. Another commenter cited Portland’s Vision Zero audit as a caution about lowering posted speeds without paired enforcement and other measures.

Planning staff said the plan was funded by a federal grant with a local match and that adoption by City Council is needed to qualify the city for SS4A implementation grants. The commission voted to recommend council adoption; the final decision remains with the Stayton City Council.