Lexington County begins Safe Streets for All planning, schedules public meetings and posts interactive map

Lexington County staff reported on March 11 that the county has launched a Safe Streets for All action plan development project and has begun public outreach. Public Works staff said the project held its first public meeting the previous evening and that two more meetings are scheduled for the coming week; later in the planning process the county will hold three additional public meetings in various locations to broaden participation.

Public Works described an online interactive map on the county website that allows residents to drop points and comments identifying locations and suggested improvements. Staff said the plan’s purpose is to reduce the frequency of fatal and severe-injury crashes and to address safety for motorists, bicyclists, pedestrians and other road users. Council members encouraged residents to use the map to request improvements such as sidewalks or turning lanes and noted public input will inform data collection and plan development.

Why this matters: The action plan is an early-stage transportation safety initiative intended to gather community input to guide later engineering and funding work. County staff emphasized resident participation through the interactive tools on the county website.

Details from the meeting Public Works staff said there are three initial meetings in this early stage plus three more public meetings later in the process. The interactive map includes a pin tool and a comments field; staff gave examples (sidewalks near Lexington High School, a turning lane on Hope Ferry Road). Staff said input need not be limited to where a respondent lives; the tool accepts countywide submissions.

Ending Public Works asked residents to participate through the website and pledged to use the community’s input in the plan’s data collection and development schedule.