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Roanoke adopts Complete Streets updates and safety, speed‑management plans
Summary
City council unanimously adopted updates to the Complete Streets policy and a safety action plan and speed‑management plan tied to City Plan 2040; staff said the plans will help prioritize projects and strengthen grant applications to reduce fatal and serious crashes.
Roanoke City Council unanimously approved ordinance updates to the Complete Streets policy and adopted a Safety Action Plan (SAP) and Speed Management Action Plan (SMAP) on May 18.
Planning and transportation staff told council the work was developed through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Safe Streets and Roads for All grant process and is based on crash analysis using 2019–2023 VDOT crash data. Staff cited an average of roughly 10 traffic fatalities and about 60 serious‑injury crashes per year in Roanoke, and said pedestrians and motorcycles are disproportionately represented in serious and fatal crashes. The SAP and SMAP identify priority corridors, recommend engineering, education and enforcement countermeasures, and are intended to help the city prioritize projects and strengthen future grant applications.
Barbara Dirk of ConnectNow urged council to adopt the plans, saying alternative transportation and safer streets promote healthy, walkable neighborhoods. Vice Mayor Maguire and other council members praised staff work and framed the plans as both safety and economic development tools; council members noted that improved pedestrian infrastructure can make neighborhoods more attractive to employers and businesses.
Council also approved a companion resolution authorizing the city manager to execute documents and take further actions necessary to implement the SAP and SMAP.
