City staff and consultants presented a draft Comprehensive Safety Action Plan on July 28 that aims to reduce roadway fatalities and serious injuries and to help the city qualify for future safety grants. Jim Kowach, the city engineer, and Kevin Kroll of Tool Design Group walked the City Commission through five chapters of the draft, which include a data-driven high‑injury network, a countermeasure “toolbox,” and proposed monitoring and public dashboards. Kroll said the analysis found that “14 percent of the roadway miles in Celina are responsible for 76 percent of fatalities and injuries.”

The plan, prepared under the federal Safer Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) grant, draws on five years of crash data (2019–2023), public outreach and walk audits. Kroll told commissioners the city’s crash data show an overrepresentation of bicycle and pedestrian injuries, a high share of mid‑block crossings by nonmotorized users, and many angle crashes at intersections. The draft identifies six priority corridors — led by Crawford Street — and recommends corridor treatments such as a 4‑to‑3 lane conversion (a “road diet”), rectangular rapid‑flashing beacons (RRFBs) with center islands for mid‑block crossings, and targeted intersection treatments including leading pedestrian intervals and modified slip lanes.

Kowach and Kroll emphasized the document is still a draft and that staff plans to refine maps, add photos and finalize a public dashboard before returning for adoption. The consultant also recommended establishing a Vision Zero goal (zero fatalities and serious injuries) or a timebound reduction target: “our recommendation…was that a goal of 20, 35 or 10 years from now would be something that would be achievable,” Kroll said while noting the city averages about two fatalities and 17 serious injuries a year now. Staff told commissioners they are not asking for immediate action on a Vision Zero resolution but plan to return with language and options for a city resolution.

Commissioners and members of the public asked about specific countermeasures, including speed‑limit studies, speed humps and raised crosswalks, and about enforcement and behavioral outreach to address distracted driving. Kroll said the draft includes an “implementation decision matrix” to guide when and where countermeasures should be used and noted federal guidance on estimated crash reductions for individual measures (for example, a 4‑to‑3 lane conversion can reduce crashes on a corridor by roughly 47 percent in studies cited). He also described a proposed public engagement and monitoring dashboard required by the SS4A grant so residents can track progress and project outcomes.

Next steps listed by staff were to finalize the countermeasure toolbox and decision matrix, tweak corridor recommendations in the draft report, add graphics and dashboards, and return to the commission with a final plan and recommended resolution language for Vision Zero. The consultant asked commissioners for any additional metrics they would like to see tracked in the public dashboard.