Mount Ascutney Safety Action Plan

The Mount Ascutney Regional Commission ( MARC ) has received the Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) Grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) to create a Comprehensive Safety Action Plan aimed at preventing deaths and serious injuries on local roads.

The SS4A program funds planning, implementation, and demonstration projects to enhance road safety. Key components of the Safety Action Plan include leadership commitment, planning structure, safety analysis, public engagement, equity, policy changes, strategy selection, and progress tracking. The plan is based on principles from the National Roadway Safety Strategy, which targets a zero-fatality vision, emphasizing system-level changes, data usage, and equitable safety initiatives.

MARC'S Goal Eliminate transportation-related fatalities and serious injuries by 2040, using data-driven analysis and a proactive, safe system approach to improve road safety. The objectives focus on raising crash awareness, identifying preventive strategies, fostering a culture of safety, addressing inequity, and securing implementation funding.

The SS4A Grant program has a specific outline that guides the process. Understanding the background of this program is essential for comprehending the project's scope and objectives. 

Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) is a U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) program that provides grants to local, regional, and Tribal communities for implementation, planning, and demonstration activities as part of a systematic approach to prevent deaths and serious injuries on the nation’s roadways.

The SS4A Program Provides:

• Planning and demonstration grants for Comprehensive Safety Action Plans
• Implementation grants to implement strategies or projects identified in an existing Action Plan. What is included in a Safety Action Plan?

1. Leadership Commitment and Goal Setting - A formal public declaration by a governing entity aiming for the ultimate objective of eliminating roadway fatalities and serious injuries entirely.
2. Planning Structure - Establishment of a committee or similar group responsible for overseeing the formulation, execution, and evaluation of the Action Plan.
3. Safety Analysis - Examination of current conditions and historical data to form a baseline for understanding crash incidents involving fatalities and serious injuries.
4. Engagement and Collaboration - Thorough engagement with the public and key stakeholders.
5. Equity - Ensuring that the plan’s development involves an inclusive and representative process that identifies and addresses underserved communities.
6. Policy and Process Change - Review of existing policies, plans, and standards to pinpoint areas for potential improvements.
7. Strategy and Project Selection - Formulation of a comprehensive set of projects and strategies, considering stakeholders’ input and equity to tackle safety issues.
8. Progress and Transparency - Incorporating a system to track progress over time and maintain continuous transparency.

Two foundational concepts!

 The Safe System Approach   The safe system approach is a comprehensive, US DOT adopted approach to address roadway safety by incorporating the principles outlined below. These principles acknowledge limitations, identify vulnerabilities, promote a shared responsibility, call for redundancy, and endorse a proactive approach. The safe system approach includes the many facets to improving crash outcomes through the objectives of:

• Safer Roads
• Safer People / Road Users
• Safer Vehicles
• Post-Crash Care
• Safer Speeds

 Vision Zero  Vision Zero represents a shift in how we think about and address roadway safety problems. It requires shifting our thinking upstream in order to prevent problems before they happen. This entails moving beyond focusing on changing individual behavior and instead accepting shared responsibility for putting a safe system in place for all road users.

Vision Zero is based on five fundamental principles:

• Traffic deaths and severe injuries are acknowledged to be preventable.
• Human life and health are prioritized within all aspects of transportation systems.
• Create transportation systems that account for human error.
• Safety work should begin with systems-level changes and follow with influencing individual behavior.
• Speed is recognized and prioritized as the fundamental factor in crash severity.

Vision Zero prioritizes the following policies and principles:

• Build and sustain leadership, collaboration, and accountability to advance safety.
• Collect, analyze, and use data to identify safety concerns and opportunities for improvement.
• Prioritize actions to provide a safe and equitable transportation system for all users.
• Lead with roadway design that prioritizes safety.
• Maximize technology advances, without overlooking low-tech solutions.

Aligned with our data-driven approach, we have analyzed crash patterns in the area to identify where and why crashes are occurring to inform targeted safety solutions. You are invited to explore the data in the dashboard below.

Goal: With the target of establishing safe mobility for all in the region, the Mount Ascutney Regional Commission aims to eliminate transportation related deaths and serious injuries by 2040.

The Regional Commission and its Member Towns acknowledge that fatalities and serious injury crashes are preventable and require a proactive approach to shift the outcomes. The Regional Commission commits to development and implementation of a data-driven action plan that fosters a culture of safety and more equitable outcomes in coordination with its Member Towns and their committed and engaged communities. The Regional Commission recognizes that action plan development is a catalyst and first step in a sustained safe system approach to transportation, steering the region towards zero fatalities and serious injuries.

Objectives:

• Conduct a data driven safety analysis to identify systemic and specific needs.
• Raise awareness of the contributing factors of crashes resulting in fatalities and serious injuries in the region.
• Identify strategies and actions to address and prevent crashes resulting in fatalities and serious injuries.
• Promote and adopt a safe system approach to transportation in the Mount Ascutney Region.
• Engage partners and the public to foster a culture of safety.
• Prioritize investments and programs to address inequitable outcomes.
• Leverage action planning process to identify and secure implementation funding.

Building a culture of transportation safety is a key component to the development of the region's Safety Action Plan. Tune back in to learn about opportunities to engage with the plan development process.

Please share your experiences with safety on our transportation system by filling out the survey below.