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Sandusky unveils Safe Streets Action Plan funded under USDOT program; plan targets pedestrian and cyclist safety
Summary
Consultants and staff presented a Safe Streets for All action plan funded by USDOT and developed with WSP; the plan identifies high-crash corridors, pedestrian safety zones, and prioritized demonstration projects for traffic calming and active-transportation access.
City staff and consultant WSP presented the Safe Streets Action Plan Sept. 8, a USDOT-funded strategy to reduce traffic fatalities and serious injuries and improve pedestrian and bicycle safety across Sandusky.
Nora Anderson, project lead from WSP, summarized a data-driven plan the city prepared with a $200,000 USDOT award and local match. The plan analyzed crashes from 2014 to 2023 and identified hot-spot locations, with a particular focus on pedestrian and cyclist risk. Anderson said there were more than 5,000 reported crashes in that period and 128 that resulted in serious injury or fatality.
The plan adopts a "safe systems" approach that pairs engineering countermeasures with enforcement, speed management and community engagement. Key priorities include addressing mid-block crashes, establishing safety zones around schools consistent with the Safe Routes to School plan, and installing traffic-calming features such as speed tables, curb bump-outs, mini roundabouts and protected bike facilities. Anderson said the project prioritized equity in site selection by considering census tracts with limited vehicle access and transit-dependent populations.
Anderson said the team collected community input through community meetings and a survey that received about 730 responses; common concerns included speeding, distracted drivers and difficulty crossing streets. The plan proposes a project-prioritization map and recommended next steps, including applying for demonstration funding to pilot low-cost traffic-calming measures and continuing community engagement as projects are implemented.
Aaron Klein, staff liaison for the project, said the city will return at a later meeting seeking formal adoption of the plan before pursuing demonstration grants. Commissioners asked technical questions about the USDOT goal of zero fatalities by 2050 and data details; Anderson answered that the 2050 target is the aspirational goal USDOT uses while communities may choose interim measurable reductions.
No vote was taken on Sept. 8; staff said they will circulate the plan document to commissioners and return later with an adoption ordinance and specific grant requests.
