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Amarillo presents Safe Streets plan after extensive public outreach; council to consider adoption next meeting
Summary
City staff and consultants presented a Safe Streets for All plan that maps high-injury corridors, proposes 16 safety projects and a five-site demonstration focused on school zone speeds; consultants said one demonstration project was funded and staff requested a council resolution to support future grant applications.
City staff and outside consultants on Tuesday told the Amarillo City Council they have completed a Safe Streets for All plan that uses five years of crash data and more than 6,900 public responses to identify high-injury corridors and 16 candidate safety projects. Staff said the plan is ready for formal adoption at the next council meeting and asked the council for letters or resolutions of support when staff applies for implementation grants.
The plan seeks to reduce fatal or severe crashes by 35 percent by 2035, consultants said, and focuses on roadway segments where roughly 60 percent of the city—s fatal and severe crashes occur on less than 9 percent of its streets. Consultants said the planning grant was awarded in 2022 and that the city pursued funding for five demonstration projects; one demonstration project—Safer Speeds for Schools—has been awarded federal demonstration funds.
Why it matters: The plan combines technical analysis and broad public input to create a prioritized list of projects that staff say will help Amarillo qualify for federal and state safety grants. Council members and presenters described the work as the basis for follow-up grant applications and neighborhood pilots.
Details: Consultants from Goodman Corporation presented the data and public-engagement results. Eagle Tang, the project manager, summarized the analysis of 2019—2023 crashes and said the city recorded 64 fatalities and 446 severe injuries during that period. He said more than 63 percent of fatal and severe crashes occur at about 2 percent of intersections, and that the city—s hot-spot mapping supported concentrating countermeasures in a limited number of corridors and intersections.
Robert McKeaney, the project principal, and Tang described 16 candidate projects scored as short-, medium- and long-term based on cost and complexity. Tang said the team identified four separate high-injury networks—two for all users (cars, bikes, pedestrians) and two for vulnerable users (pedestrians, bicyclists).
Public input and demonstration projects: The presenters emphasized public outreach: more than 6,900 people participated through online surveys, pop-ups and committee meetings, a level of engagement the consultants described as unusually high. Consultants said that public input altered priorities; for example, community responses prioritized safety near schools even where crash counts alone did not rank those sites among the highest-injury locations. As a result, the city pursued a demonstration project focused on reduced speeds and traffic-calming near five schools.
Safer Speeds for Schools: The awarded demonstration targets Hamlet, Margaret Wilson, Olsen Park, San Jacinto elementary schools and David Crockett Middle School. The demonstration scope described by staff includes temporary ("paint and post") speed cushions and curb adjustments to shorten crossing distances and collect baseline data to test effectiveness before permanent installation. Staff said federal funding and scheduling mean installation is now expected in 2026 rather than summer 2025.
Local comments: During the meeting—s public-comment period, Amarillo residents urged quick action on street safety. Chris Pittman, who identified himself as an Estacado neighborhood resident, praised the outreach and urged the city to adopt safety-first language, asking the council to "shift our language away from the term 'accident' when referring to car collisions," saying the phrase is misleading. Timothy Ingalls, who said he served on the plan—s steering committee, voiced support for the plan and added that enhanced street safety supports economic activity.
Next steps and council direction: Staff asked the council to consider a resolution of support for grant applications; multiple council members signaled support for a resolution and for bringing the plan back for formal adoption at the next meeting. Presenters also said they would continue applying for funds already identified in the plan.
What remains unresolved: Staff said timing for demonstrations depends on federal funding agreements and that the city will measure pilot results before recommending wider installation. No formal council vote on the plan occurred; staff expects a formal adoption item at the next council meeting.
