Olathe introduces Safety Action Plan after 10-year crash review; staff outline countermeasures and prioritization

City staff presented Olathe's Safety Action Plan to the council on Aug. 5, describing a data-driven playbook intended to reduce traffic fatalities and serious injuries across all road users.

Andrew Robertson, transportation manager, said the plan reviewed 10 years of crash data (2013–2022) and identified 47 fatalities and 302 serious injuries over that period on Olathe roads. He described five focus areas — vulnerable road users, impaired driving, infrastructure partnerships with police, arterial analysis and speed-management strategies — and a large toolbox of countermeasures meant to be matched to site-specific needs.

Robertson said the plan will help the city prioritize projects under the capital improvement program and be more competitive for federal and state funding, noting the project received a Safe Streets for All grant and that the city's financial responsibility for the study was 10%.

The plan includes a prioritization map that ranks roadways and intersections by risk and potential benefits; staff illustrated demonstration pilot projects, including a temporary pedestrian refuge island at Forest View Elementary School that could become permanent if appropriate.

Council members asked how the plan would integrate with the CIP and requested annual reporting on changes. Robertson said staff will return with a resolution for adoption after council feedback and that staff expect to pursue additional grants to implement high-priority action items.