PINELLAS COUNTY, FL —- Did you know that two people are killed or seriously injured every day on our roadways in Pinellas County on average? The Forward Pinellas Board is taking action by adopting the Safe Streets Pinellas Action Plan committing to a goal of zero deaths and serious injuries in Pinellas County by 2045. Over the last year, Forward Pinellas studied where we’re seeing concerns on our roadways and why these crashes are happening. We’ve also held several demonstration projects to test ways we could make our roads safer, such as exploring new technology and educational outreach. Now we’ve created an Action Plan that will guide our steps as we work toward ensuring everyone is safe on our roadways in Pinellas County.
“This Action Plan is an important step to change how we approach safety and planning in Pinellas County,” says Pinellas County Commissioner Dave Eggers. “No one should be killed on our roadways. No loss of life is acceptable regardless of how people travel.”
“Now is the time for each of us to do our part to guarantee that everyone can travel safely. Some people say zero deaths on our roadways by 2045 is unrealistic. But if we work together towards this goal, I think we’ll be surprised by what we can achieve. And if even one life is saved, isn’t it worth it?” says Forward Pinellas Chair and City of St. Petersburg Councilmember Darden Rice.
The Action Plan Includes Six Categories:
- Vision Zero Program
- Data Collection, Monitoring & Analysis
- Education Campaign
- Street & Roadway Design
- Funding
- Legislation
Specific actions from the plan include establishing a Safe Streets working group, developing an annual crash analysis, creating a media toolkit, conducting demonstration projects, prioritizing funding for safety projects in Communities of Concern, supporting legislation for safety projects, such as current Senate Bills 278 and 950, and House Bills 605 and 1643, and working with law enforcement, healthcare, and school system partners.
Forward Pinellas will begin implementing the Action Plan by seeking support from other agencies on committing to zero deaths and serious injuries by 2045 and supporting the Safe Streets Pinellas Action Plan or other Vision Zero efforts. Forward Pinellas will also be forming the Safe Streets Pinellas Working Group later this year to ensure equal representation from our community to find solutions to safety throughout Pinellas County.
For more information about Safe Streets Pinellas, visit forwardpinellas.org/safestreets
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