Folsom council adopts 2024 Local Road Safety Plan to target fatal and severe crashes

The Folsom City Council on Feb. 11 adopted Resolution No. 11327, approving the city's 2024 Local Road Safety Plan, a data-driven strategy to reduce fatal and severe-injury crashes on city roadways. The vote was recorded as 5-0 in favor.

The LRSP update, presented by Zach Bosch, public works senior civil engineer, and consultant Zach Romalingam of Kimberly Horn, analyzes crash data from 2020 through 2023 and prioritizes locations and countermeasures aimed at preventing the most serious collisions. Bosch said the LRSP is "specifically focused on addressing the most severe crash patterns in the city of Folsom" and that the plan will "guide targeted safety investments, where they will have the greatest impact on saving lives and preventing serious injuries." Romalingam summarized the data period: "This update to the LRSP looked at crash data from 2020 through 2023."

Why it matters: adoption makes Folsom eligible to apply for Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) grants and establishes a structured approach for prioritizing improvements for high-speed crash locations and vulnerable road users. The plan also includes a countermeasure toolbox to guide design and funding requests.

Key findings and proposed next steps - Data focus and trends: The consultants identified unsafe speeds, traffic-signal and sign violations, and driving under the influence as common primary collision factors in fatal and severe crashes. For all injury crashes, rear-end collisions were most common; for fatal and severe-injury crashes the most frequent types were hit-object crashes, broadsides (T-bone), and pedestrian-involved collisions. Pedestrians accounted for about 3% of all crashes but 12% of fatal and severe-injury crashes; bicycles accounted for about 3% of all crashes and 9% of fatal/severe crashes. - Public outreach and case studies: The LRSP incorporated 382 site-specific public comments gathered via an online portal and outreach, and staff said they interviewed about 85 people at farmers-market events. The study identified 15 case-study locations citywide as candidates for targeted safety projects and grant applications. - Funding and implementation: Adoption makes the city eligible for competitive state and federal funding, including HSIP. Bosch said staff will evaluate LRSP projects against funding notices of funding opportunity and seek council authorization to apply for awards. The LRSP will be maintained on a 5-year cycle as required to retain HSIP eligibility. Staff also said they will pursue inclusion of certain projects in the city's capital improvement program or maintenance work where feasible. - Neighborhood Traffic Calming Toolbox: The consultant contract includes a second deliverable, a neighborhood traffic calming toolbox intended to address local traffic concerns. Staff estimated that toolbox work would occur within the current calendar year, with a ballpark three- to six-month timeline after the LRSP adoption.

Council discussion and public input Council member Leary asked how staff will prioritize projects when grant opportunities open; Bosch said projects in the LRSP will be evaluated for eligibility and competitiveness against each NOFO and that council recommendations would be sought before submitting applications. Council members asked about coordination with roundabout projects and other corridor work; staff said some locations identified in the case studies could align with planned capital projects.

Votes at a glance - Resolution No. 11327, "A resolution adopting the 2024 Local Road Safety Plan": Motion to adopt (mover not specified in transcript); second (not specified). Roll call: Bridal ' Yes; Rohrbaugh ' Yes; Kozlowski ' Yes; Leary ' Yes; Aquino ' Yes. Outcome: approved (5-0). - Consent calendar: motion and second to approve the consent calendar (mover/second not specified). Roll call recorded as yes by the same council members. Outcome: approved (vote recorded on the roll call prior to the LRSP item).

What the LRSP does not do Bosch emphasized that the LRSP is not a broad neighborhood traffic study and will not itself resolve every speeding or cut-through complaint; instead, it prioritizes interventions that address fatal and severe injury crash trends and vulnerable road-user safety.

Next steps Staff will pursue funding opportunities identified in the LRSP, report back to council when grant submittals are proposed, and move forward with the Neighborhood Traffic Calming Toolbox under the same consultant agreement.