Draft safety action plan highlights low fatality record but recommends sidewalks, speed management and targeted fixes

Spencer Montgomery of JUB Engineers presented the City of College Place’s draft Comprehensive Safety Action Plan at the Aug. 5 workshop, saying the study — funded largely by a U.S. Department of Transportation grant — combines technical crash analysis with public input and prioritizes projects aimed at preventing fatalities and serious injuries. Montgomery summarized five years of data from 2019–2023 showing 440 crashes in the study period, including one fatality and four serious injuries. He said the most common crash types included angle crashes (116), rear-end collisions (94), collisions with parked cars (63) and fixed-object crashes (62), and that distracted driving showed up as the highest contributing circumstance in the crash reports. Montgomery emphasized the plan’s multimodal approach and public engagement: the city solicited more than 450 public comments and held community meetings to collect local concerns and location-specific observations. He said the plan’s seven components include leadership commitment, planning structure, safety analysis, public engagement, policy/process changes (including ADA transition recommendations), selection of strategies and projects, and monitoring for progress and transparency. Recommended strategies discussed with council members include extending and repairing sidewalks, addressing ADA transition items and curb ramps, reviewing sight-distance obstructions (vegetation/parking), improving pavement markings and signage, evaluating speed management tools, and pursuing intersection or corridor projects (including roundabouts where appropriate). Montgomery noted that all recorded fatalities and serious injuries in College Place during the study were pedestrian-related and said lower speeds significantly reduce crash severity. Council members asked about state highways and interjurisdictional issues. Montgomery said speed limits and major geometry changes on Washington State Route 125 would be a Washington State Department of Transportation decision, although roundabouts and speed changes near state highways could be coordinated with the state. He said the project lists in the appendix are intended to help the city apply for implementation funds and other grants, even if the city’s low absolute number of fatalities may reduce competitiveness for certain USDOT programs. Montgomery said JUB and the UTEC partner will return with a recommendation at the council’s regular meeting on Aug. 26 for possible adoption and that the plan includes monitoring and reporting steps to track implementation and safety outcomes. No formal adoption occurred at the Aug. 5 workshop. The draft plan and appendices list intersection- and segment-level candidate projects, incorporate public suggestions (sight-line fixes, specific sidewalk gaps, transit-route improvements and school-area safety), and prioritize projects against a set of criteria including crash history, traffic volumes, proximity to disadvantaged populations, public comment levels and lack of existing sidewalks. Council members expressed support for the document and noted sidewalks and pedestrian separation as high priorities for the downtown area.