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Portsmouth adopts Vision Zero policy, staff to finish safety action plan for grant competition
Summary
The Town Council unanimously adopted a Vision Zero resolution after a presentation of a data-driven Safety Action Plan. Consultants said speeding and East Main Road were top local concerns; the plan will position Portsmouth to compete for federal implementation funding.
The Portsmouth Town Council on Jan. 27 unanimously adopted a Vision Zero resolution directing staff to complete a Safety Action Plan that uses crash data and community outreach to target roadway locations for safety improvements.
The council acted after Tool Design consultants summarized a months-long project produced for the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority’s Safe Streets for All grant. Shauna Kitzman, senior transportation planner with Tool Design, said the plan focuses on the most serious crashes rather than minor fender-benders and uses a “safe system” approach designed to prevent deaths and serious injuries.
"Speed is a common denominator," Kitzman said during the presentation. "Reducing speeds and calming traffic reduces the likelihood a crash will result in death or serious injury." She and staff said public input and crash data show East Main Road repeatedly as a priority.
The plan’s authors said the project creates a local Safety Action Plan (SAP) that will make Portsmouth more competitive for federal implementation grants. The work included crash analysis from RIDOT data, pop-up outreach on Aquidneck Island and a task force that involved town planning, public works and public-safety representatives. The consultants said shared, regional applications with Middletown and Newport could strengthen grant requests.
Town planner Leah (town planner) told the council the task force included police, business and elected-official representation and that final SAP text will be presented to the council in March.
The council voted 7-0 to adopt the Vision Zero resolution and asked staff to return with a final draft of the plan and recommendations for potential grant applications.
Why it matters: Adopting Vision Zero formally signals the town’s prioritization of projects that reduce fatal and serious-injury crashes and is the first step required by the Safe Streets for All grant program. If the town secures implementation funding, it could design and build infrastructure changes — from crosswalks to demonstration projects — that make walking, biking and driving safer.
What’s next: Staff and consultants will circulate a draft SAP to the town task force and RI‑TAC partners, then present a final plan to the council in March to position Portsmouth for upcoming federal grant rounds.
