Consultants present Vision 0 and Safety Action Plan framework; preliminary analysis finds at least 824 serious or fatal crashes in 2018–2024

Consultants for the City of Glendale described a federally funded Vision 0 and Safety Action Plan during the Oct. 28 council workshop, citing an approximately $800,000 competitive grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation to support the work.

Marta Gerber of Stanley Consultants described the Safe System approach the city will use: a proactive, data‑driven framework that assumes people will make mistakes and that the transportation system should be made forgiving through safer roads, speeds, vehicles, users and post‑crash care. Gerber said the plan will combine crash analysis, community input and policy and process changes to prioritize targeted improvements.

Donna Lewandowski (consultant) presented preliminary crash findings and methodology. "Between 2018 and 2024, at least 824 people died or were seriously injured in crashes on roadways in Glendale," Lewandowski said. She explained the consultants will develop a high‑injury network (locations where most serious crashes have occurred) and a high‑risk network (locations that may experience severe crashes in the future using contextual and predictive data), then prioritize projects and countermeasures using safe‑system principles.

Lewandowski and Gerber outlined the safety plan’s seven required components: leadership commitment and measurable goals (fulfilled in the Vision 0 document), planning structure and roles, data‑driven safety analysis (including high‑injury and high‑risk networks), engagement and collaboration, analysis of communities in persistent poverty, policy and procedural changes to institutionalize safety, and a prioritized strategy/project list with annual public progress reporting. The consultants said the Vision 0 policy document is the high‑level commitment and will feed the more detailed Safety Action Plan.

Consultants also explained exclusions and scope decisions: crashes on SR 101 and SR 303 are being treated differently; Grand Avenue (US 60) was included because it feels and functions like local streets and residents expect it to be considered. They described a near‑term schedule that includes a May 2026 work session to review draft findings (high‑priority corridors and proposed strategies) and a target adoption later in 2026.

Council members raised questions about truck classifications (consultants clarified the truck category refers to larger commercial vehicles), time‑of‑day analysis, speed management policies and how enforcement and education will be coordinated with engineering. Consultants said they will include speed studies and recommended policies and that progress will be publicly posted with annual reporting.

No formal action was taken.