Arlington staff present first Safe Streets annual report, cite recent rise in serious crashes and new public dashboard

Anne Foss, who identified herself as representing the Transportation Department, presented Arlington's first annual report on the Safe Streets Arlington plan adopted in December 2024, outlining data analysis, stakeholder engagement and next steps to reduce serious crashes.

Foss told the council the plan used five years of crash data (2018'022) to produce a high-injury network highlighting roadway segments with an elevated likelihood of fatal or serious-injury crashes. She said the plan "uses something called the safe systems approach" and focuses on five elements: safe speeds, safe roads, safe road users, safe vehicles and post-crash care. The presentation included an interactive public dashboard that now contains crash data through 2024 and an implementation tracker showing the status of 43 recommended action items divided into short-, mid- and long-term timelines.

"The dashboard is on our city website," Foss said when asked how residents could access the materials, adding that the same tools are available through…