Council asked to adopt comprehensive safety action plan tied to Safe Streets for All grant with goal to cut serious crashes

Smyrna staff asked the council to adopt the Town of Smyrna Comprehensive Safety Action Plan, a product of a Safe Streets for All planning grant and consultant work with Kimley-Horn (transcribed as Kimberly Horn).

Charles (staff member) said the planning process included evaluations, citizen surveys and several workshops with invited participants including nearby cities, the county and the school board. The plan compiles a list of projects and prioritizes roadway and sidewalk improvements. "What this is what we're asking you to approve now is, approval of the resolution. Yes. And approval of the letter, the cover letter that was submitted, agreeing that, what our mission is, our goal is, is to have a 20 percent reduction in fatal and serious injury crash rates by 2035," Charles said (date corrected from transcript reference).

A council member asked whether a recent on-town fatality (Rocky Fork/Cammarnville referenced in the transcript) would be included in the data. Charles replied that crashes on town roads in 2025 will be included in future evaluations and projections: "It will be included in further evaluations of it to see how we're meeting if we're meeting that 20% reduction," he said. Charles said the consultant calculates projected reductions based on prior years of fatal and serious-crash data and will add 2025 data as it becomes available.

Councilors commended staff for engaging residents and incorporating the workshop results into a prioritized project list. Staff scheduled a presentation by Kimley-Horn at the meeting to review specifics. The transcript excerpt does not include a recorded vote on the resolution.