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Safety-Conscious Planning in Practice

In response to U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) guidance, and acting at a regional level, the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority, Inc. (NJTPA), initiated the Development of Regional Safety Priorities study to identify transportation safety needs and solutions in the 13-county NJTPA region. The study was a proactive, multimodal effort to elevate safety considerations to a high priority at all levels of decision making. The project's goal was to develop specific, targeted metropolitan planning organization (MPO) actions to reduce the frequency and severity of crashes. The study incorporated principles of Safety Conscious Planning, a USDOT initiative. Safety Conscious Planning is a planning process model that considers multimodal, comprehensive safety issues at all phases of MPO processes. It includes data analysis, interdisciplinary professional perspectives, and public input. The NJTPA study had three elements: a data-driven, collaborative assessment of priority multimodal safety needs throughout the region; recommended applications of engineering, enforcement, and educational countermeasures; and development of project concepts for advancement through the MPO planning process. Active, meaningful interagency and public input was integral in all these steps. The Development of Regional Safety Priorities study does not represent a one-time effort, but is a first step toward improving how considerations of safety are integrated throughout development of transportation plans, programs, and projects. Since the study's conclusion in spring 2005, recommended improvements at three locations developed through this effort have been funded for construction, and several more are under consideration for funding in the near future.