Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Transportation Safety topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Holly Springs council adopts Vision Zero safety policy after countywide plan presentation
Summary
After a consultant outlined a Cherokee County Safe Streets and Roads for All safety action plan, Holly Springs voted unanimously to adopt a Vision Zero policy, endorsing a goal of zero traffic deaths and serious injuries by 2040 and directing continued coordination with county stakeholders.
Holly Springs voted unanimously Feb. 21 to adopt a Vision Zero policy tied to the countywide Safe Streets and Roads for All safety action plan.
Ansley Belton, a member of the consultant team for Cherokee County’s planning program, summarized the draft safety action plan and the community engagement behind it, saying the team heard from more than 700 residents and a stakeholder committee of roughly 75 people. Belton said the plan recommends a mix of engineering, enforcement and education measures and proposes a multi-jurisdictional goal of zero deaths and serious injuries by 2040.
“The main point I wanted to get across to you all is that Vision 0, it’s really important to set a goal,” Belton said, noting the 2040 target was chosen after peer review and that several peer jurisdictions have adopted similar timelines. She described recommended priority projects for locations with higher rates of fatalities and serious injuries and said many recommended countermeasures carry an associated crash-reduction factor based on research.
City staff introduced a resolution to adopt the Vision Zero policy as part of the Federal Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) safety action plan. A councilmember moved to approve the resolution, another seconded, and the council recorded a 4-0 vote to adopt the policy.
Adoption of the Vision Zero policy signals the city’s intent to coordinate with Cherokee County and other municipalities on project selection, speed management, pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure, and signal/intersection upgrades recommended in the plan. Staff told the council the stakeholder committee that helped produce the plan is expected to remain active to guide future work.
The council approved the resolution during routine new business; the resolution was included in the council packet and was described by staff as consistent with the countywide grant-funded planning effort. The council did not set specific project funding in the meeting; staff noted some recommended projects will require additional programming and outside funding. The resolution directs staff to continue coordination and to consider the safety action plan in future transportation decisions.
