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Amarillo presents Safe Streets for All plan; city eyes school speed demonstration in 2026
Summary
City staff and consultants presented a Safe Streets for All plan after extensive public outreach, proposed 16 safety projects and won a federal demonstration grant to pilot speed‑reduction measures at five schools; council asked staff to return with resolution requests and a funding timeline.
City staff and outside consultants outlined Amarillo’s Safe Streets for All plan and said the city is pursuing federal funding to pilot speed‑reduction measures at five schools.
Miss Ker, the city’s project lead, told the council the planning process began in January 2024 and produced broad public participation — about 6,900 responses — which helped shape proposed projects. Consultants Robert McCain and Eagle Tang described a data‑driven approach that analyzed crash data from 2019–2023, produced a higher‑injury network and generated 16 proposed projects across short, medium and long timelines.
The plan’s stated vision is to reduce fatal and severe crashes by 35 percent. Eagle Tang said the project team excluded interstate crashes and focused on city streets. The consultants said more than 60 percent of fatal and severe crashes occurred on fewer than 9 percent of Amarillo roadways, and more than 63 percent of serious injuries were concentrated at about 2 percent of intersections.
The city has already received funding for one demonstration project: “Safer Speeds for Schools,” which targets five schools with temporary measures such as speed cushions and shorter crossing distances to test effectiveness before making permanent changes. Council members were told the intent was to design and install demonstration treatments as a pilot; staff said installation is unlikely before 2026 and now expects demonstrations to be ready for fall 2026, pending final federal agreements.
Council asked staff to bring back: the final plan for adoption (next meeting), any resolution of support for grant applications, baseline measures for the pilot projects and a funding timeline. Miss Ker said staff would request council resolutions for grant applications and continue measuring outcomes if projects proceed.
“Safer Streets is meant to pair data analysis with community priorities,” Robert McCain said, noting the planning grant came from the federal Safe Streets for All program and that the city used community input to prioritize school safety even where those locations were not on the top high‑injury network.
The council did not take formal action on the plan at this session; staff said the adoption item will appear on the next agenda and that they will return with letters of support for applications and a proposed schedule for the demonstration project.
