City of Beatrice seeks public input on Safe Streets action plan

BEATRICE –Residents of a southeast Nebraska community had a chance to weigh in how safe their community is…when it comes to transportation.
An open house at the Beatrice Public Library sought input and suggestions as the city develops a Safe Streets for All, action plan.

Mark Lutjeharms, a Transportation Senior Project Manager for JEO Consulting Group, spoke about one part of the process….looking at areas where crashes most frequently happen…and how they may be prevented.  "It;'s difficult to know the why, as to why those crashes are occurring. Certainly speed management is a big component of it. Certainly, distracted driving is another issue. Some of it may also come down to the intersection control, whether there's stop signs, or a lack thereof...and maybe better ways to control the intersection...and certainly a lot of times, just geometric improvements to help slow that traffic down, on streets."

The information gained from the open house will be used to help compile a plan with recommendations. Those will be shown at a second public meeting before they are presented to the city council for approval of a Safe Streets for All Action Plan.  Aside from traffic enforcement, design changes have been used to improve safety…and getting the public to adjust to them.

"There certainly are a lot of treatments. Roundabouts are certainly one of them that are proven safety measures. They force traffic to slow down and when there are crashes, they're very minor in nature. You very seldom see someone killed or severely injured at those types of intersections. That can certainly be a part of this project, providing more education to folks as to what the benefits of those types of intersection treatments might be."

As more communities see pedestrians, bicycles, scooters and runners mix into vehicle traffic, Lutjeharms says the study seeks to address that.
"Traditionally, it's all about widening roads or improving the flow of traffic....and less so about making safer accommodations for walkers and bikers. So, a lot of this is giving more focus to that and the opportunities to make improvements for those modes of traffic, also."

Finalizing a safety action plan is a key step before the City of Beatrice can seek grant funding to implement safety plan components. Lutjeharms says there are a number of U.S. Department of Transportation grants that communities can tap, to improve safety…including the Safe Streets for All program. "Beatrice was actually in the first round of applying for that grant money. There's since been a second...now there's a third round going on right now. It's only been about a two, two-and-a-half year program...so it's still fairly in its infancy."

More communities are finding out about the federal sources and consulting firms are helping them get a piece of an increasing federal share to fund transportation safety.  The Beatrice project timeline calls for advisory group meetings, a second public session in October…with presentation of a final plan to city officials, in December.