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Portsmouth adopts Vision Zero safety action plan, aims to apply for regional federal grant
Summary
The council unanimously adopted a data-driven safety action plan tied to a Vision Zero pledge and authorized staff to pursue a regional Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) grant application with a June 26 deadline.
The Portsmouth Town Council voted 7 to 0 on May 12 to adopt a safety action plan developed with consultant Tool Design that implements the town's earlier Vision Zero resolution and lays out specific steps to reduce deaths and serious injuries on local roadways.
The plan, prepared over roughly 10 months with input from municipal staff, police, the planning department and local stakeholders, documents a high-injury network and recommends 43 actions across four strategic areas: policy and leadership, infrastructure to slow speeds and improve crossings, education and enforcement, and post-crash care and data transparency. The consultant reported that town crash data from 2019'to'23 showed more than 1,000 crashes overall, about 160 injuries and 29 incidents involving death or serious injury; pedestrians and bicyclists were over-represented among the most severe outcomes.
Why it matters: Formal plan adoption allows Portsmouth to submit stronger applications for federal discretionary funding under the Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) program. The consultant and planning staff said the current federal funding window closes June 26 and that a regional application with neighboring Newport and Middletown could score higher points.
Technical findings and priorities - Time frame and data: the consultant reviewed five years of crash reports (2019'to'23) supplied through the Rhode Island Department of Transportation and local police reports; the five-year window is a standard practice for safety planning. - Hotspots: East Main Road and intersections along West Main Road (including where Corey's Lane and Headley Street meet West Main) appear as local hotspots in the plan's high-injury map. - Actions: the plan lists near-term, medium- and longer-term steps and assigns responsible partners (municipal departments, police, schools, regional agencies and nonprofits).
Grant and regional strategy Town staff said they are working with Middletown and Newport to prepare a multi-municipality SS4A grant proposal emphasizing sidewalks, pedestrian safety and school-area improvements. Tool Design presented outreach materials, short animations and one-page "tip sheets" intended to help elected officials, staff and the public understand the plan's goals.
Community input and review The plan incorporates feedback gathered through a task force and several stakeholder meetings. Councilors asked for continued updates and for staff to bring details on implementation priorities, cost estimates and enforcement plans.
Outcome and next steps - Council vote to adopt safety action plan: 7'to' (unanimous). - Next steps: staff will finalize regional grant application materials, pursue the SS4A round (deadline June 26) and return to the council with implementation priorities and timing.
Speakers and participants named in the meeting included Planning staff Leah Hitchen (presenter), Shauna Kitsman of Tool Design (consultant presenter), Police Chief Peters (comment on enforcement) and local task-force members who helped develop the plan. No direct quotations are used in this report; all details derive from the May 12 presentation and council vote.
