Manassas Park reviews Vision Zero safety action plan and eyes federal implementation grants

City officials and consultants on May 20 presented a draft Vision Zero safety action plan that lays out strategies and near‑term project priorities aimed at eliminating roadway deaths and serious injuries by 2035.

Steve Hall, the city’s transportation program manager, said the plan — prepared jointly with Prince William County under the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) program — was supported by a planning grant award of roughly $992,000 and that the total planning effort for both jurisdictions is about $1.2 million, with the city’s match largely in‑kind.

Consultant David Saab of Kimley‑Horn summarized the analysis: the team reviewed reported crashes from 2019–2024 (about 527 crashes), finding one fatal crash and 19 that produced serious injuries, with 20 pedestrian‑involved crashes and six bicycle crashes. Crash patterns and vulnerability mapping placed Manassas Drive, Old Sonoma Road, Rugby Road and Conner Drive among the corridors with the highest risk of severe outcomes, the consultants said.

Why it matters: SS4A implementation grants require an approved safety action plan. An adopted Vision Zero action plan would let the city compete in the current funding round (applications due June 26, 2025) for larger implementation grants that can fund built projects — lighting, intersection redesigns, speed‑feedback devices and other countermeasures — rather than just planning work.

Key elements and local priorities: Hall and Saab emphasized a systems approach that mixes low‑cost, quick‑turn measures (speed feedback signs, improved crosswalk visibility) with targeted capital projects (intersection redesigns, bulb‑outs, new signals). Intersection crashes accounted for about 45% of severe crashes in the city’s analysis, and speeding factored in 44% of severe crashes. The team also highlighted vulnerabilities where crash exposure overlaps populations with less mobility or greater need (renters, households without cars and younger or older residents).

Council discussion focused on implementation priorities and timing. Members pressed staff on whether the joint county–city application would dilute the city’s share of implementation funding; Hall and Saab said the application will include separate project lists for the county and the city and that each jurisdiction would pursue projects appropriate to its priorities. Council members also asked about pedestrian‑scale lighting, the status of HAWK pedestrian signals, and whether more public outreach is feasible before the June grant deadline. Saab said the draft plan will be published for public comment and that staff are still finalizing the prioritized project list and the vision resolution the governing body would need to adopt to become eligible for implementation grants.

Next steps: Staff indicated they will return with a finalized project list and a resolution affirming the Vision Zero target so the city can submit implementation funding requests in the current or next SS4A rounds. Council members asked that staff include clear lists of projects proposed for grant funding so elected officials can vet and endorse the specific asks before submission.

Representative quote: “We want to eliminate fatal and severe outcomes and then use a combination of policy, systemic strategies and targeted projects to get there,” David Saab said.

What to watch next: the governing body’s adoption of the Vision Zero resolution and the city’s submission (in coordination with Prince William County) for SS4A implementation funding; staff said they anticipate returning with the finalized materials and request for endorsement in the coming weeks.

Ending: The draft plan positions the city to pursue federal implementation funding while directing officers and staff to refine project lists and engagement steps; adoption of the resolution would be the deciding step for applying for large implementation grants.