Regional safety-action-plan briefing, Vision Zero resolution and federal funding options presented to committee

Staff told the Bicycle History and Advisory Committee that the La Crosse Regional Comprehensive Safety Action Plan is a joint effort between the city and the La Crosse Area Planning Committee and uses a Safe Systems approach to prioritize projects and reduce fatalities.

"So our comprehensive safety action plan has seven different components," the staff member said, listing leadership commitment (including a proposed Vision Zero resolution), safety analysis of current conditions, public engagement, policy review and project prioritization. The plan includes a crash-data dashboard that the public can review and a high-injury network map identifying corridors where safety improvements would have the most impact.

Staff explained why the team used a 10-year crash-data window (to smooth COVID-era distortions) and said the high-injury network captures roughly 65% of the region’s fatal and serious-injury crashes while comprising about 9.4% of total regional mileage. The planning-area definition covers the urbanized area and extends into La Crescent and a portion of Vernon County, not the entire county.

Committee members asked about how the team accounts for treatments already installed; the consultant and staff said they compare before-and-after data when assessing whether improvements have reduced crashes. The staff member also said completing the plan will make the region more competitive for federal funding programs tied to Safe Streets for All and related grants.

No committee vote occurred on the plan at this meeting; staff described next steps for prioritizing locations and further stakeholder engagement.