Cape Cod Commission unveils Vision Zero action plan draft to cut fatal and serious roadway crashes

The Cape Cod Commission on Monday presented an interim draft of a regional Vision Zero Action Plan intended to eliminate fatal and serious injury crashes across the 15 towns of Barnstable County.

Transportation Program Manager Colleen Medeiros said the plan, funded through the Federal Highway Administration's Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) grant, will provide towns with a data-driven set of engineering and non‑engineering actions they can use to reduce serious crashes and fatalities. "Tonight, we are presenting on the Cape Cod Vision 0 Action Plan," Medeiros said at the start of the meeting.

The draft plan compiles six years of crash records (2018'023) and other local input. Consultants reported more than 27,600 crashes across the Cape in that period, and roughly 667 combined fatal and serious-injury crashes: 75 fatal crashes and about 592 serious-injury crashes in the dataset the team used. Much of the analysis separates the Cape into Upper, Mid, Lower and Outer regions and maps a high-injury network (specific locations with elevated crash counts) and a high-risk network (locations with roadway features that increase risk even if crashes are not yet concentrated there).

Why it matters: the plan is intended to be a FHWA-certifiable product that communities can use to prioritize projects and apply for implementation funds. Consultants said the Cape averages more than 110 fatal or serious injury crashes a year, with a seasonal peak from May through September and a daily peak in the late-afternoon commute window.

What the plan contains

Presenters said the plan pairs a toolbox of "proven countermeasures" identified by Federal Highway with local data and outreach.…