Safe Streets Pinellas
Safe Streets Pinellas is a Vision Zero plan for Forward Pinellas that is currently in the final stages of development. The effort will culminate with an Action Plan that the MPO will implement through partnerships with coordinating agencies with policies and commitments to improving health and safety for residents in Pinellas County. The MPO plans to align priority projects and available funding with the elements and strategies in the Action Plan to reduce the number of traffic fatalities and serious injuries throughout the county.
The PGA Planning Group, working with prime consultant and Polk TPO team member Fehr & Peers, is leading public outreach efforts which have included developing a custom Public Outreach Plan, forming, and supporting a project Task Force and working with local agencies in Pinellas County to identify and conduct live demonstration and pilot projects at various locations indicated on the High Injury Network (HIN). A high level of engagement with local media and social media outlets is part of the outreach plan, as well as several interactive ways for the public and partner agencies to provide input, participate in plan development, and offer feedback. The team quickly adjusted to restrictions due to COVID-19 and kept the project moving forward with virtual meetings, interactive online tools, and maps that engaged stakeholders with opportunities to record input about conditions at specific locations and offered unique opportunities for communities of concern to be involved. We held outreach and awareness events outside, like the Safe Streets Summit at Crest Lake Park in Clearwater and the Duke Energy Trail crossing at Nursery Road. Both events were well attended and appreciated by all.
Live demonstration and pilot projects have been highly successful collaborations between the consultant project team, Forward Pinellas staff, and local city and county staff. These projects can take many forms and are designed to spotlight the use of safety countermeasures and give stakeholders a picture of how they operate and what they look like when constructed.
