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Town staff unveils Vision Zero action plan to reduce traffic deaths and serious injuries
Summary
Matthews staff presented a Vision Zero action plan that maps high‑injury corridors, proposes priority projects and recommends education, engineering, enforcement and equity measures. Council and staff discussed grant strategies and near‑term safety steps.
Matthews staff presented a Vision Zero action plan at the Feb. 24 Town Council meeting that maps the town’s high‑injury network, summarizes crash data and lists engineering, education, enforcement and equity actions to pursue.
Nadine (staff) — who led the presentation — told the council her team analyzed crash reports from 2018–2023 and identified 19 fatalities and 16 serious injuries on Matthews streets over that period. She said collisions concentrate along several corridors and at intersections — many of them on NCDOT‑maintained roads — and that pedestrians accounted for a sizeable share of serious outcomes.
The plan groups recommendations into evaluation, engineering, enforcement, education and equity. Short‑term priorities include neighborhood traffic calming, sidewalk‑gap mapping, targeted senior outreach (20 percent of crashes involved people 65 or older), an improved Vision Zero website and participation in the federal Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) grant program. Staff said the Windsor Square Drive corridor is a top candidate for near‑term mitigation and that the plan will support grant applications.
Council members urged faster action on several downtown crosswalks and on Independence Boulevard, where multiple fatalities have occurred. Commissioners asked staff to increase enforcement at key crossings and to pursue improved NCDOT coordination for safety projects on state corridors.
Why it matters: The Vision Zero plan formalizes safety priorities and provides a reference package to support grant applications and local capital planning. Staff said the plan’s prioritized projects are intended to be implementable and used to pursue available grant funding.
What’s next: Staff will present the plan to the planning board and continue public outreach. Several members asked staff to bring measurable near‑term projects back to council for funding and implementation.
