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TPO committee backs drafting local safety targets, seeks data on pedestrian enforcement
Summary
The Technical Committee agreed Jan. 14 to direct staff to develop local safety performance targets — consistent with the Mobility Plan’s Vision Zero commitment — and requested additional crash and enforcement data to support target setting; formal adoption of numeric targets will occur next month.
The Knoxville Regional Transportation Planning Organization Technical Committee on Jan. 14 gave staff direction to prepare local safety performance targets for consideration at the February meeting, aligning with the region’s Roadway Safety Action Plan and a Vision Zero‑style goal to reduce fatalities and serious injuries.
TPO staff (Mike Conger) presented statewide TDOT targets showing increases in fatalities and serious injuries in recent years and noted preliminary 2024 figures may show improvement. Conger reviewed the five safety performance measures that FHWA expects — number of fatalities, fatality rate, number of serious injuries, serious injury rate, and non‑motorized fatalities and serious injuries — and explained that TDOT’s statewide targets use a projected five‑year average. He said the TPO’s Roadway Safety Action Plan includes a formal commitment to reduce fatalities and serious injuries by two‑thirds by 2045, which equates to an approximate 5% annual reduction from a 2023 baseline.
Committee members discussed pros and cons of adopting statewide targets versus local targets. Supporters said local targets better reflect regional priorities and the local Roadway Safety Action Plan; one member said City of Knoxville had hired a Vision Zero coordinator and local initiatives, including enforcement, are underway. Members asked whether targets can be reset in future years; Conger said targets are considered annually and can be revised in subsequent cycles.
A motion to have staff prepare and present local targets for adoption next month passed unanimously. Committee members also requested staff investigate whether local police issue motorist citations for failure to yield to pedestrians at crosswalks so the committee can better understand enforcement levels and add that metric to future reporting.
No final numeric targets were adopted on Jan. 14; staff will present computed local numbers and supporting data at the February meeting, and the City of Knoxville’s Vision Zero coordinator is scheduled to present initiatives to the committee and the executive board next month.
