Shawnee County staff outline timeline, public survey for countywide safety action plan

TransSystems consultants told the Shawnee County Board of County Commissioners on March 3 that the county has begun developing a Comprehensive Safety Action Plan designed to qualify Shawnee County for implementation grants and to reduce roadway fatalities and serious injuries.

Nicole Hood, a consultant with TransSystems, said the plan uses a "safe system" approach and aligns with the national Vision Zero goal of zero roadway fatalities and serious injuries. "It would be fantastic if Shawnee County had 0 roadway fatalities and severe injuries," Hood said, adding that the plan is intended to identify safety priority areas and countermeasures and to produce recommendations that could later be funded through implementation grants.

Hood and a TransSystems colleague described the project timeline and stakeholder outreach. The consultant team plans a first safety task force meeting on March 19, a second task force meeting in May, a public meeting in June, another task force session in August and a final report in October. Hood said the task force will include public employees, school and township representatives, emergency services and enforcement officers to validate data, draft vision and goals, and evaluate performance measures.

The consultants will also run a public survey tied to the plan. Hood described the survey as a short questionnaire that asks respondents where they're from, ranks safety concerns (for example, speeding, distracted or impaired driving, roadway departure crashes, pedestrian and bicyclist safety), and requests preferred communication channels. The survey includes a map tool where respondents can mark the location of specific safety concerns, indicate affected users and attach photos. Hood said the county website, local media, social media and school contacts will be used to promote the survey.

Courtney House, identified as director of public works, told commissioners the county's 2023 local road safety plan will be incorporated into the new action plan; Hood said the new plan will broaden coverage to include all public roads in Shawnee County (the 2023 plan covered only paved roads with posted speeds above 30 mph). Hood also said the city of Topeka is excluded from the county survey because it is conducting a separate study, and that townships are included and several township representatives are engaged on the task force.

Hood said the end product will include recommended projects and countermeasures that the county can adopt and pursue with implementation grants. She told commissioners that adoption of the final plan will require a formal resolution committing the county to Vision Zero goals.

No formal action or vote occurred during the presentation; commissioners asked clarifying questions about outreach to school districts and townships and about the survey content and schedule.