Delray Beach unveils Vision Zero planning effort as residents press for safety fixes at Linton/Atlantic crossing

Jason Kaufman, engineering division manager for the City of Delray Beach's Department of Public Works, opened a public meeting to solicit input on the city's Vision Zero action plan, saying the city received a federal Safe Streets for All grant from the Federal Highway Administration to develop the plan and become eligible for further safety funding.

"This effort here today is to gather input from the public," Kaufman said, and he turned the presentation over to consultants from Kimley Horn.

Brad, a Kimley Horn consultant, walked through five years of crash data and said the project will pair community input with technical analysis to produce a draft plan the city must formally adopt to be eligible for implementation grants. He said the draft high-injury network identifies a narrow set of streets that account for a large share of crashes: "These red streets represent just 12% of the city's total roadway network, yet they cover 77% of all of the crashes and 80% of all of the severe crashes." The consultant also noted that 36% of severe crashes involve people outside motor vehicles and that 64% of severe crashes occur on streets posted at 35 mph or higher.

The consultants named four corridors as priorities for safety work: Atlantic Avenue, Linton Boulevard, Lake Ida Road and Congress Avenue. Brad said the plan's recommendations will include both infrastructure improvements and non-infrastructure actions such as safety campaigns and enforcement priorities coordinated with police and regional partners.

Community members pressed for immediate action on a known danger point where a fatal crash occurred last year. "A year ago, there was a tragic accident there, and a friend of mine was killed," said Dorothy Shannon, a Delray Beach resident who identified herself during public comment. She asked whether the city could install a protected walkway with flashing lights and improved nighttime lighting at the crossing. Another attendee described visibility at night as "blacker than black," saying drivers cannot see pedestrians and urging officials to visit the site at night.

Brad acknowledged the personal stories and said staff would examine the location, including nighttime conditions, coordinate with the Florida Department of Transportation and the county where needed, and incorporate any findings into the plan's prioritized recommendations. "We will look at that in more detail," he said, and promised to return with more specifics in the draft plan and at the next meeting.

Residents also raised questions about liability and who would pay for improvements if private groups contributed funding. Tim Lowny asked whether the state could be sued and whether donated infrastructure could be transferred to state ownership. Brad said he did not have specific examples off the top of his head and that the team would research liability and ownership-transfer options and report back.

Chip Dixon, representing the Beach Property Owners Association, asked the consultants to disaggregate bicycle and pedestrian crash data on the maps to better target interventions. Jessica Pearl, a Tropic Palms neighborhood resident, recommended low-cost education and awareness campaigns for young drivers and school-based outreach as part of the plan. Brad said the plan includes both engineering and non-engineering responses and noted there are two common SS4A grant tracks: pilot projects for lower-cost tests and larger implementation grants for reconstruction.

Brad closed by saying the presentation, draft plan and meeting materials will be posted on the project web page and encouraged attendees to complete the online survey or speak one-on-one with staff. The draft plan will incorporate public feedback and technical findings and be returned to the community for additional comment before formal adoption.

Next steps: city staff and consultants will finalize the draft recommendations after the online comment period, research liability and transfer questions raised by residents, and post the draft plan and presentation online for the public to review. Formal adoption of the plan is required to make Delray Beach eligible for implementation funding under the Safe Streets for All program.