Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) MPO
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To address the dramatic rise in traffic deaths and serious injuries, the US Department of Transportation (USDOT) is making an ambitious long term goal of reaching zero deaths and serious injuries on the nation’s highways, roads, and streets.
Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) is a competitive grant program that will provide $5 billion dollars over 5 years to improve traffic safety by supporting local communities in the development of safety action plans and the implementation of projects which reduce traffic fatalities and serious injuries on the local road network.
MAPA was awarded planning funds through the FY22 grant application cycle and will be leading the development of a regional Comprehensive Safety Action Plan (CSAP). This plan kicked off in Spring 2024 and is expected to be complete by Fall 2025. The plan includes the areas of Douglas and Sarpy Counties in Nebraska, as well as the cities of Council Bluffs, Carter Lake, Crescent and McClelland in Iowa.
Through the development of the comprehensive safety action plan, we will locate key areas of safety concern and establish solutions that our member jurisdictions can use to increase safety and reduce traffic fatalities and serious injuries in our region. Strategies and projects included in the CSAP will be eligible for future implementation funding.
Download the project handout or explore related data here.
SAFETY SNAPSHOTS
We’re excited to share four new safety snapshots that highlight key traffic safety issues in our community. These snapshots are based on comprehensive local crash data analyzed by our team as part of our ongoing effort to develop a regional CSAP with the goal of reducing crashes and improving road safety. View the snapshots and some key insights here:
- Safer People: Younger Drivers
- Those under the age of 25 are 1.6 times more likely to be involved in a fatal or serious injury crash than other drivers.
- Safer People: Impaired Driving
- A driver under the influence is 3.8 times more likely to be involved in a fatal or serious injury crash compared to an unimpaired driver.
- Safer Vehicles: Motorcycles
- When involved in a crash, one in five motorcyclists are killed or seriously injured.
- Safer Roads: Post-Crash Care
- Of the crashes resulting in fatalities from 2018-2022, 51% requested emergency transport to a medical facility
- View or download all four snapshots
HOW CAN I GET INVOLVED?
To be successful, this initiative will need a coalition of champions, experts, community members and leaders to advocate for regional safety efforts. We have already been reaching out to local jurisdictions and key stakeholders to build the teams that will help us define our planning structure and highlight our key focus areas.
COMMUNITY INPUT SURVEY
Please help us improve safety on the roads of Greater Omaha-Council Bluffs! Take our community survey to identify areas of concern for drivers, pedestrians, cyclists, and other road users. Your feedback will help prioritize improvements in our CSAP and ensure our streets are safe for everyone.
Click here to take the survey!
ENGAGEMENT BOOTHS
Our project team will be at several engagement booths this summer and fall to talk about the SS4A project. Come meet us to share your thoughts on making our streets safer! Scheduled events include:
- Saturday, July 27 – Carter Lake Days
Wednesday, July 31 – Music in the Park: Bayliss Summer Concert SeriesCANCELLED due to weatherThursday, August 1 – Music in the Park: BellevueCANCELLED due to weather- Saturday, August 3 – NOMAFEST
- Thursday, August 15 – Papillion Farmers Market (Note: this event was rescheduled from Wednesday to Thursday due to weather)
- Thursday August 22 – Council Bluffs Farmers Market
- Saturday, August 24 – Nebraska Renaissance Faire
- Saturday, August 31 – Crescent Farmers Market
- Saturday, September 7 – Bellevue Farmer’s Market
- Saturday, September 14 – Fiestas Patrias (Latino Heritage Month Festival)
- Saturday, October 12 – Let’s Talk La Vista
Keep an eye on this webpage and our social media as we add more events!
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PLAN
To kick off engagement efforts, MAPA held a Co-Creation Workshop on Monday, April 22, 2024, which provided an opportunity to collaboratively craft the project’s community engagement approach with direct input from community partners and advocacy groups. This is a living document that will be updated regularly as outreach activities progress.
Click here to view the Community Engagement Plan!
OTHER WAYS TO GET INVOLVED
- View and share the project handout
- Partner with us to conduct outreach in your communities
- Provide input in our project surveys
- Schedule a time to talk with us about becoming a partner
- Email us at safestreets@mapacog.org for more information, future updates, and opportunities to get involved!
WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?
Nationwide, traffic deaths are increasing at an alarming rate, particularly in disadvantaged and underrepresented communities.
From 2018-2022 the MAPA region has experienced a higher rate of non-motorist fatalities than either the Nebraska or Iowa state averages, and a disproportionately high impact on disadvantaged communities.
RELATED EFFORTS & STUDIES
The following project and studies will be incorporated or considered in the development of the regional Comprehensive Safety Action Plan.
Iowa Regional Planning Affiliations 13 & 18 will be working together to develop a Comprehensive Safety Action Plan (CSAP) from a separate grant through the Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) program. View information on that project at www.mapacog.org/projects/ss4a-rpa. That plan will encompass the cities of Atlantic, Clarinda, Red Oak and Shenandoah in RPA-13 and the cities of Glenwood, Harlan and Missouri Valley in RPA-18. MAPA administers Regional Planning Affiliation 18 and will also be leading the development of the CSAP for this area.
Each county in Iowa is developing a safety plan for county roads. This effort is funded through a separate grant from the Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) program. County plans will be considered during CSAP development.
The City of Omaha’s Vision Zero Action Plan (VZAP) is complete and available at www.omahavisionzero.com. MAPA supported development of the plan and will work to support plan implementation. The MAPA CSAP will incorporate the Omaha VZAP, and extend the safety planning process to the remainder of the MAPA SS4A Study Area.
The states of Iowa and Nebraska have both recently completed Vulnerable Road User Safety Assessments. This new assessment, established as a requirement by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, supplements the existing state Strategic Highway Safety Planning process, and provides greater insight and statewide recommendations for improving safety for vulnerable road users (non-motorists) who share the roads with vehicles. Find out more on the assessments here.
- Iowa Vulnerable Road User Safety Assessment
- Nebraska Vulnerable Road User Safety Assessment (Appendix A)
The states of Iowa and Nebraska both have recently updated their Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP). A Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP) is a statewide safety plan that provides a comprehensive framework for reducing highway fatalities and serious injuries on all public roads. View the USDOT SHSP page to learn more about this requirement. View the individual state plans at the links below: