Special Notice / Hearing: None__
Vote Required: Majority
To: Honorable Board of Supervisors
From: Ann M. Stillman, Director of Public Works
Subject: Unincorporated San Mateo County Local Road Safety Plan
RECOMMENDATION:
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Adopt a resolution approving the Unincorporated San Mateo County Local Road Safety Plan.
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BACKGROUND:
As part of California’s Strategic Highway Safety Plan, the State of California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) in 2020 announced a Call for Local Roadway Safety Plans (LRSP) Grant Applications to assist local agencies in developing an LRSP. An LRSP creates a framework to systematically identify and analyze safety concerns and recommend safety enhancements on local roads. Preparing an LRSP facilitates the development of local agency partnerships and collaboration, resulting in a prioritized list of improvements and actions that can demonstrate a defined need and contribute to the statewide plan.
In 2020, the Department of Public Works was awarded a LRSP grant from Caltrans, in the amount of $72,000 to develop the County’s first LRSP for its unincorporated areas. On April 21, 2020, this Board approved Resolution No. 077376 to accept funding from Caltrans. Since then, the Department has been in development of the LRSP.
Beginning in 2022, the State of California Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) funded projects require that local agencies have a LRSP or an equivalent plan, to be eligible for federal HSIP funds. The HSIP is a core Federal-aid program with the purpose of achieving a significant reduction in traffic fatalities and serious injuries on all public roads. Other federal, state, or local aid programs may also require an adopted LRSP that meets and adheres to specific guidelines in order to be eligible for funding.
DISCUSSION:
The Department developed the LRSP (Attachment A) with input from the following partners and stakeholders:
California Department of Transportation
California Highway Patrol
San Mateo County Board of Supervisors
San Mateo County Office of Education
San Mateo County Office of Sustainability
San Mateo County Planning and Building
San Mateo County Unincorporated Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee
Three workshops were held with these partners. The workshops were instrumental in developing the method of analyzing past collision data and prioritizing roadways for improvements.
The LRSP was developed based on guidelines from Caltrans and the Federal Highway Administration, with the goal of reaching zero fatalities by 2035. The LRSP systematically prioritizes which unincorporated County roads would benefit most from safety improvements, by analyzing collision data from the University of California Berkeley Transportation Injury Mapping System (TIMS) from 2014 through 2020. The TIMS collects injury data for collisions reported to law enforcement in California from the Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SWITRS). Extra weight was given to roads with a history of severe and fatal collisions and bicycle/pedestrian involved collisions in the development of the LRSP.
The analysis resulted in a list of 20 priority roads and 15 intersections with suggested future improvements.
Department staff presented the LRSP to the County of San Mateo Bicycle and Pedestrian Committee, Midcoast Community Council, and the North Fair Oaks Community Council. The Local Safety Plan Fact Sheet (Attachment B) was provided as a summary at these public meetings. The Bicycle and Pedestrian Committee, the North Fair Oaks Community Council, and the Midcoast Community Council have submitted letters of support for the LRSP, which have been included as Attachments B, C and D, respectively.
The LRSP may be updated every five years or less as projects are completed and new data becomes available. The update will evaluate efforts made since the approval of the LRSP and will re-evaluate the priority roads and countermeasures list. The Department may also evaluate informal datasets that may capture near-misses or unreported collisions as they are developed and standardized in future LRSP updates.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no impact to the General Fund.
ATTACHMENTS:
A. Unincorporated San Mateo County Local Road Safety Plan
B. Letter of Support from Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee
C. Letter of Support from North Fair Oaks Community Council
D. Statement of Support from Midcoast Community Council