Athens‑Clarke consultants present Vision Zero safety action plan, urge targeted projects on high‑injury network

Consultants working with Athens‑Clarke County presented a draft Vision Zero safety action plan on the county’s high‑injury network and outlined a path to use a federal Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) planning grant to pursue larger implementation funding.

"This was a million‑doll planning grant that is working to develop our Vision Zero safety action plan," Jason Jones said as he introduced the project and the consultant team. Courtney of AECOM summarized the local crash patterns that motivated the effort, saying the community averages about 13 traffic‑related fatalities and 57 serious injuries annually and that 2021 was a particularly deadly year.

The plan identifies a high‑injury network of 128 roadway miles and 25 intersections, with consultants noting that 60% of that network is on county‑owned roads and that "85% of the fatal and serious injury crashes occurred on only 18% of the roadway network," Courtney said. That concentration, consultants argued, gives the county targets for focused interventions rather than a systemwide, costly rebuild.

Short‑term measures in the plan include quick‑build pilots, improved crosswalks and protected pedestrian signals; medium‑ and long‑term strategies include road diets, sidewalk infill and pedestrian‑scale lighting. The team also described near‑miss camera sensors installed at five locations to capture almost‑crash events and guide treatments before collisions occur.

Consultants said the draft safety action plan would return to the commission for final approval in March and be submitted to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). They discussed SS4A implementation grants, noting prior rounds had included awards from about $2.5 million up to $25 million, but cautioned the notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) and exact limits were still awaiting FHWA guidance.

The commission and staff focused questions on local priorities (including concerns about North Avenue) and on coordination with the Georgia Department of Transportation for state‑owned corridors. Consultants said the plan is intended as a prioritized, actionable platform to support grant applications and interagency partnerships.

Next steps: staff will finalize the safety action plan, post supporting subreports and the Vision Zero dashboard for review, and return to the commission with a recommended adoption vote ahead of any federal implementation grant applications.