MPO Adopts State Safety Targets, Directs Staff to Pursue Local Vision Zero Goals

The Bloomington/Monroe County Metropolitan Planning Organization Policy Committee voted to adopt the Indiana Department of Transportation’s 2026 safety performance targets and directed MPO staff to pursue local goals aimed toward Vision Zero (zero fatalities and serious injuries).

The motion, adopted by roll-call vote, approved NDOT’s data‑driven target of a 2% annual reduction in the five‑year rolling average of fatalities and serious injuries and added committee direction that MPO staff work with jurisdictions over the next year to develop metropolitan planning area (MPA) targets that align local practice with the Vision Zero objective.

Why it matters: state safety targets influence how federal highway funds are allocated; the Federal Highway Administration will review whether states met targets in 2027 and, if targets are not met, funds intended for capacity expansion can be reallocated to safety projects. Committee discussion focused on whether the MPO should adopt NDOT’s targets as-is, formally urge a higher local goal, or pursue a separate local methodology—options that differ in technical complexity and administrative burden.

Committee debate and context: staff explained that NDOT’s 2% figure is a five‑year rolling average derived from a revised forecasting methodology adopted after COVID disrupted earlier models tied to employment and vehicle miles traveled. An MPO presenter said the revised model is a better fit for recent trends but cautioned that local calculation of vehicle‑miles‑traveled (the denominator used in state rates) would be approximate for the MPO’s planning area.

Members pressed two themes: (1) the policy choice versus the technical challenge—members supported endorsing Vision Zero but acknowledged that producing a locally defensible, data‑driven target requires staff time and cross‑jurisdictional data-sharing; and (2) funding and enforcement implications—members asked how failure to meet targets affects federal allocations and were told that the effect is reallocation of funds from expansion to safety rather than a reduction in total federal dollars.

Quotations from the meeting: an MPO staff presenter summarized the practical implication of the targets, saying, “These safety performance targets primarily affect distribution of federal funding and would not be used to justify fatal or serious injury crashes as acceptable.”

What’s next: The committee’s motion included direction for MPO staff to pursue MPA-level goals over the next year and to report back on methodology and jurisdictional engagement. The committee’s adoption meets the state’s timeline for target adoption; staff noted data availability lags and said local figures will require additional proofing before they are presented to the committee.