Fatalities due to traffic incidents are growing in Roanoke. The city council to develop new action plan to combat this dangerous trend

ROANOKE, Virginia – In Roanoke’s 2040 plan, making roads safer was one of the city council’s goals, and a new grant will help them reach that goal.

Between 2016 and 2020, there were eight accidents on Williamson Road that killed pedestrians. It was called a historically disadvantaged community by the U.S. Department of Transportation.

“The sidewalk has holes in it. So, it’s not always a good place for people to walk,” said the coordinator for Complete Streets and Vision Zero. “It’s hard to get around on a scooter or a bike because there aren’t any facilities.”

But Roanoke wants to make sure that no one dies or gets hurt, including on Williamson Road.

To do this, they will use the $480,000 that the infrastructure law gave to Star City. The city will add an extra $120,000 to bring the total to $600,000.

Issem says that the next step is to make an action plan so that they can keep their promise to work toward Vision Zero.

Issem said, “Any changes you see as a result of the grant’s recommendation have to be based on solid research.” So, we’re not just spending money on a bad idea.

They have teamed up with the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute to come up with a good plan and make things safer. Professors like Bryan Katz will look at things like safety, accidents, speed, street signs, and more.

Katz asked, “What is a speed limit that will keep people on the road safe and is also fair?” “Then we’ll look at other kinds of steps, like adding more signs and slowing down traffic. What can we do to get people to move more slowly?

Trying to make sure that everyone feels safe.

Issem added, “If you drive to pick up your child from school or to get groceries, or if you drive a loved one to the movies or somewhere else, they’ll get there and back safely.”

The city will also spend $90,000 on community engagement to make sure that people have a chance to say which roads are most important to them.

Issem says that the action plan is supposed to be finished in 18 to 24 months. After that, they will look for more money to start putting some of the plans they come up with into action.