Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Transportation Safety topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council adopts Transportation Safety Action Plan aiming to eliminate traffic fatalities by 2040
Summary
Broomfield adopted a USDOT-informed Transportation Safety Action Plan that maps a high‑injury network, recommends engineering, policy and enforcement changes, and sets targets to eliminate traffic fatalities and reduce serious injuries over coming decades.
Broomfield City and County Council unanimously adopted a Transportation Safety Action Plan on Tuesday that sets a vision of zero fatalities and an interim target to eliminate traffic‑related fatalities by 2040 and serious injuries by 2045 on Broomfield‑owned roadways.
Staff and consultants presented a data‑driven analysis of crashes and a recommended program of engineering, policy and non‑infrastructure countermeasures. The study identified a “high‑injury network,” conducted road safety audits at both Broomfield and Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) intersections, and mapped priorities using an “excess crash cost” metric that weights crashes by severity and exposure.
Key findings presented to council included that staff and consultants attribute roughly 87 percent of crashes to careless or distracted driving and that 74 percent of severe‑outcome crashes are intersection‑related. The project team recorded about 850 unique comments from stakeholders and the public during outreach.
Recommendations in the plan range from intersection‑level engineering changes (signal timing adjustments, reconfiguring slip lanes, raised crosswalks and roundabouts where appropriate) to citywide policy actions (signal timing policies, a pedestrian crossing treatment guide, a formal interagency safety coordination council) and continued research into automated enforcement (speed and red‑light cameras). Staff said some high‑priority countermeasures will be advanced in 2026, including a pedestrian crossing treatment guide and early research into automated enforcement.
Staff also proposed a publicly accessible crash dashboard and annual reporting on fatalities and serious injuries. The plan includes a countermeasure toolbox to guide future evaluations of problem locations and a ranked approach to address both CDOT‑owned corridors and city streets. Council members asked how the plan balances emergency response needs with everyday speed management and about funding; staff said the plan is intended to guide CIP prioritization, grant applications and use of a traffic safety fund that will be renamed and repurposed in 2026.
Councilmember Ward moved approval of Resolution 2025‑135; Councilmember Wynne seconded. The vote was unanimous.
Why it matters
The plan gives staff a common framework and prioritization method for safety investments across multiple jurisdictions and recommends both near‑term low‑cost actions (signal timing, signage, pedestrian treatments) and long‑term capital projects (road diets, roundabouts). Staff and consultants emphasized that a mix of engineering, enforcement and education will be needed.
Who spoke
Presenters and staff: Bryce Hammerton (Transportation staff), Alicia Zimmerman (consultant, Fox Tuttle Transportation Group), Joel Olsen (Next Phase Engineering). Broomfield Police Commander Wichlaz spoke during Q&A about automated enforcement research. Council questions came from Councilmembers Leslie, Marshall, Ward, Wynne, Henkel, Lim and others.
Next steps
Staff will launch a public safety dashboard, develop the pedestrian crossing guideline, pursue grants and bring policy recommendations for automated enforcement and signal timing to council. Council asked staff to keep the body updated and to include measurable annual targets to track progress toward the 2040/2045 goals.
