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Consultants present Safe Streets plan; plan would unlock federal funding and targets high-injury locations
Summary
Consultants leading the Safe Streets and Roads for All program presented a safety action plan for New Shoreham that maps crash hot spots, highlights mopeds and out-of-state drivers as disproportionally involved in severe crashes, and recommends projects that would require state cooperation and additional funding.
Consultants working on the federal Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) program presented an island-specific safety action plan to the New Shoreham Town Council on Sept. 17 and urged the council to consider adopting the plan at a future meeting to make the town eligible for additional federal implementation funding.
"The Safe Streets and Roads for All program is a federally funded grant program," said Zach, a consultant on the Safe Streets team. He and colleague Allison Fletcher said the plan covers required statutory chapters, a data review and community engagement and that adoption of a safety action plan is a prerequisite for seeking SS4A implementation grants.
Consultants summarized crash data from 2019–2023: about 185 reported crashes, 14 that resulted in fatality or serious injury and 101 that resulted in injury. They reported that 100% of crashes involving someone walking or biking resulted in injury and that 93% of crashes that resulted in death or serious injury involved at least one person who was from out of state. They also reported that roughly 80% of crashes that resulted in death or serious injury involved a moped or motorcycle.
Consultants presented a “high-injury network” of historic and projected crash hot spots across the island and recommended 12 locations for targeted safety treatments plus systemic actions (pavement resurfacing, guardrail updates, speed feedback signs, improved signage). The consultants emphasized most targeted locations are on state-owned roads and that coordination and buy-in from the Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) would be necessary for many of the recommended projects.
Allison Fletcher, who worked with town staff and the public engagement team, said the grant for the planning stage was administered through RIPTA, which served as the fiduciary. The consultants noted that adoption of the safety action plan would position the town to seek federal funding for implementation, but the council did not adopt a resolution at the Sept. 17 meeting; staff said they would bring a resolution forward on a future agenda if the council wished to adopt the plan.
Council members asked about e-bikes and scooters and whether the plan accounted for them; consultants said the available crash data did not reliably distinguish those modes from bicycles but that the plan’s recommended systemic and location-specific treatments would help accommodate micromobility modes. Councilors also asked about state coordination and consultants said RIDOT had participated on statewide working groups and had reviewed the New Shoreham plan during the process.
Consultants recommended that the council consider adopting the plan because "it unlocks the ability for you to apply for additional federal funding," Zach said, and to provide a clearer roadmap for RIDOT collaboration on road improvements.
