Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Transportation Safety topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Planning board votes to adopt Leland Safe Streets and Roads for All safety action plan
Summary
The Leland Planning Board unanimously recommended adoption of the federally funded Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) Safety Action Plan, advancing near-term measures to reduce fatal and severe crashes and positioning the town to seek implementation funding.
The Leland Planning Board voted to recommend adoption of the town's Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) Safety Action Plan, a near-term, data-driven strategy to reduce fatal and severe traffic crashes.
The plan, presented at the Feb. 25 planning board meeting by town staff and consultants, identifies a high-injury network, tiers of roadway and intersection projects, and programmatic and policy recommendations the town can pursue to lower speeds and lessen life-threatening crashes. "This is a near term 2 to 3 years 'let's save some lives' plan," said Andrew Ooms of Kittleson and Associates, the consultant team lead.
Board members heard that the plan was produced with a Federal Highway Administration'aligned safe systems approach and funded through a U.S. Department of Transportation SS4A planning grant the town received in 2023. Consultants said the plan prioritizes near-term, low-cost "tier 1" strategies the town could implement quickly, plus more substantial "tier 2" projects that would require capital investment or state involvement. Ooms said the focus on reducing speeds and redesigning dangerous intersections aims to make driver, pedestrian and bicyclist mistakes less likely to be fatal.
Staff described the project's public outreach: a kickoff in June 2024, multiple focus group meetings, public open houses and an interactive project website and map. The consultants said public participants and the focus group unanimously supported a target of eliminating fatal and severe crashes, and recommended the town adopt a formal commitment. "Most people did draw their line to 0," Ooms said, describing workshop exercises.
Board members asked about the effectiveness and timing of specific measures such as no-right-on-red restrictions, speed-management devices and signal improvements. Ooms and staff said some measures ' for example, added signs, temporary or "quick-build" treatments and signal timing changes ' could have immediate impact, while intersection reconstructions and larger corridor projects would take longer and likely involve NCDOT or MPO coordination. Staff also noted police participation on the focus group and the importance of enforcement alongside engineering and education measures.
Staff recommended approval and said the plan's recommended projects would be included in the town's broader Integrated Mobility Plan. After discussion, a board member moved to adopt the plan; the motion was seconded and carried without recorded opposition.
The board's recommendation advances the plan to the Town Council for final action and positions Leland to pursue federal SS4A implementation grants for selected projects if the council adopts the plan.
