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Building effective coalitionsCoalitions
in actionThe following are examples of successful coalition-based
efforts that address roadway problems and hazards. AAA
Michigan's Road Improvement Demonstration Project (Detroit)
OverviewWorking with its partners Wayne State University,
the Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning, the Southeastern Michigan Council
of Governments, and the City of Detroit's Public Safety Department, AAA Michigan
began in 1996 to identify high-crash intersections and develop plans to improve
them. Typical countermeasures were low-cost. They included adjusting the timing
and placement of signal lights, replacing signal lenses to make them more visible,
and adding left-turn signals and turning lanes. After improvements were made,
beginning in the spring of 1997, their safety performance was evaluated, and adjustments
were initiated to make them even more effective. Results
There has been a 48% drop in the number of crashes and a 70% decline in the
number of injuries at one high-crash intersection since program inception. Fifty
intersections were improved in 1998 with plans to expand to 105 high-crash sites
in 1999 on city, county, and state roads in the Detroit area. While it will take
two years to collect crash data at all the high-risk sites, outlook for the future
is bright. The Road Improvement Demonstration Project has leveraged the initial
$1 million investment by AAA into an additional $7 million in federal, state,
and local funds to continue its work. This program has successfully obtained additional
funding because of its strong and thorough evaluation component. This is particularly
important in attracting private-sector support. ContactCommunity
Safety Services, AAA Michigan, (313) 336-1412 Citizens
Traffic Commission (City of Lubbock, TX) Overview
The city of Lubbock is composed of 199,450 citizens, but it serves as a metropolitan
focal point for a much wider rural/farming community of 600,000 people.1
The Citizens Traffic Commission (CTC) is an effective city-based coalition
with a long-term commitment to roadway safety. It is an advisory board, composed
of nine citizens appointed by the city council. Commission members are volunteers
and have no job-related positions with the city of Lubbock. Created 33 years ago,
CTC - Researches, develops, and implements traffic safety programs
that meet local needs.
- Acts in an advisory capacity to the city council
and the city manager of the city of Lubbock.
- Coordinates traffic safety
activities of the official agencies and departments of the city of Lubbock.
-
Upon request, provides research and furnishes information to other official agencies.
-
Promotes public acceptance of safety programs proposed or initiated by the city
of Lubbock and assists in the overall reduction of traffic crashes, injuries,
and deaths on the city's streets.
Sample CTC-endorsed programs include
- Adjustment of the community's 178 signalized intersections: the amount
of all-red time was increased, thus making the intersections safer.
-
"Red for a Reason": a red-light running prevention campaign consisting
of PSAs and educational materials. This campaign won a statewide award for its
creativity.
- "Speed, A Grave Mistake": a prevention campaign
encouraging people to slow down.
The CTC focuses on two to three issues
per year, and these roadway challenges are chosen either through citizen or by
departmental request. The CTC convenes monthly meetings at which the police report
on current crash statistics. Government departments and citizens can present roadway
safety concerns as well. ResultsThe
CTC uses hard data to confirm its effectiveness through a regular review of the
community's crash/fatality database (originating from the Traffic Engineering
Department). This element is critical to evaluating the success of roadway improvement
programs. For example, in its attempt to improve signalized intersections, a $20,000
investment in equipment was made. Subsequently, the Commission was able to see
an estimated savings of $650,000 in traffic fatalities, injuries, and property-damage-related
costs. Contact Deschutes County, Oregon, Safe Communities
Overview Begun
in 1996 with NHTSA funding, Deschutes County Safe Communities represents both
the county and the city of Bend, OR. Its members consist of law enforcement personnel,
the trauma hospital staff, citizens, and government officials who represent planning
and transportation. During the first year, the coalition came to consensus on
two goals: to re-engineer high-incident locations and to become a reliable source
of data for planning. These goals have remained constant throughout the organization's
existence. Deschutes County Safe Communities takes a serious look at engineering
strategies, evaluates their effectiveness, and then makes appropriate changes
based on hard data. Results The
coalition publishes the Annual Traffic Crash Summary each year. Data come
from a variety of sources, including police department records and the community's
motor vehicle department database. Standard reports, which include countywide
information and street-by-street data, are made available to those agencies involved
in re-engineering roads. Additional data are also provided to enable the community
to better identify high-risk locations (information is updated every 30 days).
Follow-up research is initiated after roadway changes are completed, particularly
for larger projects. Roadway modifications are executed on the basis of this evaluation
process.
Deschutes County Safe Communities Said Deborah Hogan, of
Deschutes County Safe Communities, "The location of Greenwood and 4th Street
was the site of 30 crashes over a three-year period, from 1995 to 1997. A close
look at the location revealed that if 4th Street was limited to right turns only,
the number of crashes would probably diminish. Signs were posted, and an initial
enforcement effort was in place by September 1997. When the 1998 crash totals
were compiled, we were stunned that there was only one crash. In 1999, again,
there was only one crash. We expanded the follow-up research to adjoining
intersections to make sure we hadn't shifted the problem somewhere else. The crash
numbers at those locations did not go up. We succeeded! This is one success story.
There are others, but this one is my favorite, as you can tell." |
Contact Deschutes
County Safe Communities, (541) 317-3050 Florida Community
Traffic Safety Teams (Statewide) Overview
Florida's Community Traffic Safety Teams (CTSTs) are locally based groups of
highway safety advocates who are committed to solving traffic safety problems
through a comprehensive, multijurisdictional, multidisciplinary approach. The
CTSTs function as "locals solving local problems." Members, who are
volunteers, represent local city, county, state, and occasionally federal agencies,
as well as private industry. They may even represent just themselves! Safety Teams
define the geographic boundaries of where their programs are located. Thus, activities
can be targeted to a city, an entire county, a portion of a county, multiple counties,
or any other jurisdictional arrangement. Members come to the table to address
safety issues and, in turn, provide resources to solve these roadway problems.
Action item lists include a variety of safety challenges and possible solutions.
The combination of engineering, enforcement, education, and emergency services
(along with citizen input) keeps ideas flowing and issues in front of a team.
CTSTs implement public information and educational campaigns in which fliers,
posters, videos, and educational demonstrations are used to deliver messages;
special enforcement efforts are conducted; and roadway improvements are initiated.
Teams also host carseat check points, bicycle rodeos, training classes, and safety
fairs to maximize resources and minimize traffic crashes. The Florida Department
of Transportation (FDOT) actively supports the CTSTs. Each FDOT District has a
CTST Coordinator who works closely with the teams in his/her geographic area,
and the Central FDOT Safety office acts as a liaison to the District Coordinators.
ResultsThe number of CTSTs has
been growing slowly over the past seven years since the concept was initially
piloted. In 1993 there were fewer than eight teams, and in 2000, the number of
teams has grown to 47. While no formal evaluation of the projects exist, many
teams informally track the success of their strategies. In 2000 a comprehensive
evaluation of the program will be conducted for the first time. Data are currently
being collected from the state's District Coordinators. Contact Rollingwood, Texas, Coalition
Overview Rollingwood is a neighborhood community tucked
away in the hill country of Central Texas. It is also just a couple of miles from
the heart of downtown Austin, the state capital, and the University of Texas at
Austin. As such, this little town of just 2,000 residents is encountering all
the traffic issues characteristic of a bedroom community surrounded by a geographic
area that is experiencing fast-paced economic growth. The community's traffic
concerns are well-founded: a state highway that goes through town is a major route
between central Austin and the booming residential area to the west. Injury crashes
have steadily increased, according to the Rollingwood police department. For example,
a one-mile stretch through Rollingwood was the scene of approximately 40 crashes
in 1995, and that number is expected to jump to 70 in 2000. With assistance
from the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), Rollingwood is making physical
improvements to the roadway (adding shoulders, a middle turn lane, and traffic
lights). In 1999, with full backing of the mayor and sponsored by the Rollingwood
Planning and Zoning Commission and the Rollingwood Neighborhood Association, two
evening neighborhood "breakout sessions" were held to gather community
concerns and ideas. The 60 participants at these meetings focused on a variety
of important roadway challenges and potential solutions: - Improve
visibility at intersections.
- Enforce and reduce speed limits; consider
speed "humps" or "bumps" to counter the effect of steep hills
on speed; establish reduced speed limits around the city park; and consider "circles"
as traffic control devices.
- Control, direct, or reduce "cut-through"
traffic.
- Look for more alternative modes of transportation; create more
bike/pedestrian lanes.
- Develop a comprehensive master plan for citywide
traffic solutions.
- Place safety concerns over other issues, such as noise,
in determining four-way stops, and consider whether stop signs increase crashes
and traffic citations.
- Place street lights where there are night-time
visibility problems.
- Designate and mark school bus stops.
- Warn
drivers of upcoming hazards or zones.
- Review "set-back" distance
at stop signs.
- Address driveway problems.
- Provide stickers to
identify the vehicles of neighborhood citizens.
ResultsAs a direct result of the community's responding
to and identifying its needs, the following initiatives were in place nine months
later. These changes were made possible by the mayor and city council at little
cost to the city: - Large signs were placed on the main residential thoroughfare,
advising of the 30 mph speed limit.
- Small green-and-white stickers were
provided to all residents for their vehicles to help identify the extent and growth
of cut-through traffic.
- A left turn has been prohibited, just off the
state highway into a McDonald's, to keep traffic flowing and to reduce the number
of rear-end collisions at that location. Additional prohibitions on left turns
directly from the highway are under consideration.
- A traffic engineer
has been hired to look at specific intersections of priority concern to the residents.
-
Traffic enforcement allows little tolerance for speeding over posted limits. Three
years ago, the police department issued 2000 tickets. Two years ago 2,500 tickets
were issued, and last year, the number increased to 3,400!
- Two officers
are on duty during morning and evening rush hours, with one assigned to follow
school buses that wind through town.
- Additional concerns and ideas continue
to be generated through a series of joint public meetings of the city council
and planning and zoning commission. Adding sidewalks (which are now almost nonexistent
in the hilly and wooded terrain) and increasing street lighting are just two of
the many ideas being further discussed and considered.
The community's
proactive approach will help it prosper safely through further development and
roadway enhancements. Rollingwood is a great place to live, and the residents
plan to work hard to keep it that way. Contact
TxDOT Traffic Safety Section Director, Rollingwood Planning and Zoning Commissioner,
(512) 416-3167 1 The city of Lubbock is also
home to the Injury Prevention Coalition of the South Plains, NHTSA Safe Communities
program, serving 24 counties. It as strong community representation and creates
safety campaigns around drinking and driving, safety belt use, and other behavioral-related
safety issues. This community is fortunate to have two programs that emphasize
roadway safety. Back to Table of Contents
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