Erie reviews Safe Streets and Roads plan and readies grant application to target fatal and serious crashes

City of Erie officials reviewed a Comprehensive Safety Action Plan developed with Kittelson & Associates and discussed immediate steps to apply for federal implementation funding through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) program.

Tara Hoffer, a senior planner with Kittelson & Associates, told the council the plan focuses on eliminating fatal and suspected serious-injury crashes by applying a safe-systems approach and aligning with Vision Zero principles. "We are now immediately preparing to transition into the implementation phase," Hoffer said, noting the city used crash, demographic and community-input data to shape recommendations.

The plan analyzes crashes from 2019–2023 and identifies 34 traffic fatalities, about 166 suspected severe-injury crashes and more than 5,600 total crashes in that period. Hoffer said angle, rear-end and fixed-object crashes were most common and that speeding and crashes in dark conditions were disproportionately likely to cause severe outcomes. The plan highlights high-priority corridors including 26th Street, Broad/Buffalo, 18th Street, 12th Street, 6th Street, East Lake Road, State Street and Parade Street, and it added Eighth Street because of frequent community concern.

Why it matters: Erie staff said the finalized safety action plan must be formally adopted and published before the SS4A implementation grant application is due on 2025-06-26 for the city to be eligible for federal implementation funding. The SS4A program allows jurisdictions with an adopted safety plan to compete for infrastructure and programmatic funding; applicants must demonstrate project readiness and generally provide a local match (the plan notes a typical 20% match).

Plan recommendations and engagement: The plan groups recommendations into spot-specific infrastructure projects on the highest-crash corridors; systemic countermeasures to apply citywide; and non-infrastructure actions such as education, enforcement and policy changes. Hoffer said the plan includes a toolkit of proven countermeasures (described by the Federal Highway Administration) with planning-level cost and benefit assessments, plus an implementation matrix that lists potential funding sources, implementers, priorities and phasing.

Hoffer described extensive public engagement: an initial outreach phase that produced about 570 online survey responses and a public workshop in September 2024 with roughly 50 attendees, plus focused neighborhood meetings; a second round of outreach tested draft recommendations, including an online story map and another public workshop in January 2025.

City engineer Leanne Parmenter addressed traffic flow concerns tied to a separate Bayfront Parkway closure and told the council staff is coordinating with PennDOT on signal timing and adaptive signal systems for intersections expected to see changed volumes. "We're currently working with PennDOT to work on the signal timing again with the different volumes. We're trying to get an adaptive system," Parmenter said.

Public comments tied to the plan: Two residents described personal experiences with crashes and near‑misses on Downtown Erie streets during the meeting. David French, a Downtown Erie resident, said the intersection of 10th and State Street felt unsafe for pedestrians: "The trouble spot for me is the Tenth and State quite frankly." Jonas Laird, who said he was struck while in a wheelchair on State Street in June 2023, described long-term physical and mental-health consequences and urged the city to review camera footage and improve accountability. "I was laying in the middle of State Street... my wheelchair was nearly a block away from me," Laird said.

Next steps and timeline: Staff and consultants said the city intends to use the plan to prepare an SS4A implementation grant application due 2025-06-26. The plan's implementation matrix is intended to guide project selection, identify likely funding buckets and name potential implementing agencies (city public works, PennDOT, transit and emergency services). No formal vote on adopting the plan occurred at this meeting; council members and staff indicated intent to place adoption on an upcoming agenda so the city can meet the SS4A application requirement.

Community context: Presenters highlighted that 16% of Erie streets account for about 80% of the city's fatal and suspected severe-injury crashes, and recommended prioritizing those corridors while considering proximity to schools, parks and equity factors. The plan also recommends non-infrastructure strategies such as enhanced driver education, targeted enforcement for speeding and reckless driving, establishing a capital funding program and completing a city Complete Streets policy.

The council accepted the presentation and asked staff to return with adoption language and next steps in time to preserve the city's eligibility for federal implementation funding.