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INCORPORATING SAFETY IN TRANSPORTATION PLANNING Neil Pedersen Maryland DOT August 7, 2002

INCORPORATING SAFETY IN TRANSPORTATION PLANNING Neil Pedersen Maryland DOT August 7, 2002. MARYLAND BACKGROUND. TEA-21 made safety one of seven planning factors Safety has always been cited as being Maryland DOT’s number one priority

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INCORPORATING SAFETY IN TRANSPORTATION PLANNING Neil Pedersen Maryland DOT August 7, 2002

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  1. INCORPORATING SAFETY IN TRANSPORTATION PLANNING Neil Pedersen Maryland DOT August 7, 2002

  2. MARYLAND BACKGROUND • TEA-21 made safety one of seven planning factors • Safety has always been cited as being Maryland DOT’s number one priority • However, safety has not really gotten the priority in the planning process that would truly reflect it’s #1 priority status

  3. MARYLAND BACKGROUND • Safety has been addressed at the project level and on individual facilities through traffic engineering improvements • Education and enforcement efforts have largely been developed and conducted outside the transportation planning process • Safety programs have not gotten the same planning attention as congestion relief

  4. MARYLAND SAFETY PLANNING FORUM • Maryland forum held May 15, 2001 • Approximately 60 people attended with representatives from federal, state, MPO and local transportation planning organizations • Attendees also spanned the 3-Es of transportation -engineering, education, enforcement

  5. MARYLAND SAFETY PLANNING FORUM • Provided opportunities to: • bring all the key safety and planning personnel together • integrate safety factors with planning goals and performance measures • further develop transportation planning process to encompass the 3Es • define future process steps and develop an action plan

  6. ACTION ITEMS FROM SAFETY FORUM • Establishing a list of “high accident locations” • Providing access to safety data and information for all potential users • Raising public awareness of travel safety issues • Educating transportation professionals on safety issues

  7. ACTION ITEMS FROM SAFETY FORUM • Creating a regional/state interagency group to address safety issues • Developing an inventory of safety goals across modes and developing common goals/measures • Modifying process to insure relevant safety stakeholders are involved in planning efforts

  8. IMPLEMENTATION ISSUES • Requires top management level support, both in planning and in safety offices • Safety should be included as a key performance area in DOT business plans • Action plans must contain specific, time bound, measurable performance objectives that clearlydefine implementation responsibility

  9. PROCESS ISSUES • A forum should be set up for key players to meet regularly to coordinate and track implementation • Maryland SHA has established a Safety Council that meets monthly • Need for common definitions • Need for multimodal consideration of safety

  10. DATA AND ANALYSIS ISSUES • How can we more effectively use data that are already collected? • How can data/information be more effectively shared across program lines? • How do we more effectively share/integrate analyses done among the program areas? • Should we develop a transportation safety management system?

  11. FUNDING/PRIORITIZATION ISSUES • How do we develop common measures of benefit/cost or cost-effectiveness? • How do we build support for programs that lack political visibility/backing? • In making funding decision how do we account for program interrelationships? • How do we get beyond funding being based on individual federal program levels?

  12. COMMUNICATIONS ISSUES • How should safety program managers be involved in the planning process? • How do we develop a planning process together that meets all of our needs? • What role should the public play in addressing safety in the planning process? • How do we effectively communicate safety needs to the public and elected officials?

  13. SPECIFIC ISSUES THAT THE PLANNING PROCESS NEEDS TO ADDRESS • Bicycle/pedestrian safety issues • Motor carrier safety issues • Transit safety, particularly related to transit operators • Alcohol related programs • Smart growth as it relates to transportation safety

  14. KEY FOLLOW UP ACTIONS SINCE THE SAFETY FORUM • Maryland Strategic Highway Safety Plan • Drivers • Pedestrians and Cyclists • Trucks and Buses • Highways • Emergency Services • Safety Program Management • Safety objectives and performance measures in statewide long range plan • New preventative safety program

  15. PUBLIC AWARENESS CAMPAIGNS • “Smooth Operator” - to address aggressive driving • Bicycle safety • Pedestrian safety - especially school zone safety • Work zone safety

  16. CONCLUSIONS • A safety planning forum provides a good opportunity to “jump start” the process of considering safety as a planning factor • The forum is only the beginning of a process which needs to result in a set of specific, implementable, measurable objectives for which accountability is determined and progress is monitored

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