On average, over 42,000 persons are killed on our nation’s roadways each year with 1,400 of these deaths occurring in Illinois. The total economic loss due to all traffic crashes in Illinois is estimated to be $10.5 billion annually. In response to the tragic number of lives lost and the staggering economic impact of crashes, transportation officials at the local, state, and federal levels are making extraordinary efforts to improve the safety of all transportations users and modes including automobiles, trucks, transit, bicycles, and pedestrians. The intent of safety conscious planning is to consider different aspects of transportation that can be impacted by early decisions regarding land use and site design, access management, transportation operations, traveler behavior, and modal requirements, such as roadway geometrics. By focusing on reducing or avoiding safety conflicts, future crashes may be prevented or the severity of future crashes may be lessened.

Nationally, the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) was enacted in August, 2005 and authorizes the Federal surface transportation programs for highways, highway safety, and transit for the five year period 2005-2009. Through SAFETEA-LU, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) are encouraging State Departments of Transportation, Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs), and other local and regional jurisdictions to strengthen efforts to incorporate safety into all aspects of the transportation planning process. Efforts should address safety solutions in Engineering (infrastructure improvements), Enforcement (red light running, speed limits), Education (bicycle education, youth alcohol awareness), and Emergency Services (incident management, emergency access to incident locations). These four categories are commonly referred to as the “Four-E’s” of safety. In order to advance safety conscious planning, planners should strive to serve in two capacities. First, planners can facilitate dialogue of the Four-E’s within the comprehensive planning and transportation planning frameworks by engaging safety discussions with a wide variety of individuals and organizations including many non-traditional safety partners. Second, planners often work in environments that can provide a leadership role for compilation of safety data, analysis of that data, and performance monitoring of the transportation system.

The engagement of safety partners into the transportation planning process is critical to address safety objectives, particular those related to Enforcement, Education, and Emergency Services. One method many regional planners have used to engage these partners has been by participating in multidisciplinary safety teams. These teams are typically comprised of representatives of municipal/county engineering and planning departments, police and fire departments, hospitals and/or EMS operators, social services, transit operators, and other local interests that may be specific to that particular region.

Data is necessary to identify and understand the safety problems within the applicable planning geography. Examples of critical data sets include crash data, traffic data, and land use data. Other information such as sidewalk inventories, access management policies, and emergency services resources may be beneficial and worth investigation. Ideally, planners would obtain information from existing databases and methodologies, but additional data collection may be necessary. Primary sources of data are likely to include the Illinois Department of Transportation and local engineering and law enforcement agencies.




Analysis is another area where planners should be able to add substantial value to local and regional safety efforts. While a wide variety of statistical analysis has been successfully employed by generations of traffic engineers, planners typically work with tools that provide fresh viewpoints on many factors that contribute to crashes. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are routinely used for demographic, land use and infrastructure analysis and is also a valuable tool to investigate relationships between these various factors and safety problems. Travel demand models and land use models are other applications that may be able to identify areas of potential safety concern.

Performance measures provide the ability for planners and other local and regional leaders to monitor the operational characteristics of the transportation system and determine whether specific goals and objectives are being met. Some examples of safety performance measures include:

• Number of crashes by crash type and severity (e.g. signalized and non-signalized intersections, pedestrians, bicycle, transit)
• Crash rates (per vehicle miles traveled or population)
• Unit costs (costs per incident)
• Percent of streets with sidewalks in good condition
• Percent of rail crossings with adequate crossing protection

Jurisdictions and regions should select or develop appropriate performance measures based on predominate local safety concerns. A valuable measure is one that can be quantified and can be tracked over extended periods of time.

Last year, the Illinois Department of Transportation released the statewide Comprehensive Highway Safety Plan (CHSP) that is designed to build upon existing resources and provide a more coordinated safety effort among safety organizations and state and local agencies. One of the ultimate goals of the CHSP is to reduce the number of fatalities on Illinois highways to 1,000 by the end of 2008. The CHSP is striving to reach this goal through focusing efforts in ten emphasis areas:

• Alcohol and Other Impaired Driving
• Driving Behavior and Awareness
• Highway-Railroad Grade Crossings
• Information Systems for Decision Making
• Intersections
• Large Trucks
• Roadway Departure
• Safety Belts/Occupant Protection
• Vulnerable Users (pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorcyclists)
• Work Zones

There are opportunities for planners to get involved in each of these areas of emphasis either formally through CHSP implementation teams or through locally initiated efforts. More information on the CHSP and how you can be involved can be accessed at http://www.dot.il.gov/illinoisCHSP. Additional information and resources concerning safety conscious planning can be accessed the FHWA Planning Capacity Building website (http://www.planning.dot.gov), the FHWA Safety website (http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov), and the Transportation Safety Planning website (http://tsp.trb.org).