Creating a Safer Transportation System: Help Greeley Achieve "Vision Zero"

The Greeley City Council adopted a Vision Zero resolution at its January 21 meeting. The resolution aims to eliminate traffic deaths and serious injuries on city streets by 2045.

The city will use a $9.9 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation's Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) program to kickstart safety projects. Staff are allocating this grant to quick-build projects that use materials like paint, flexible posts, and signage. These projects provide quick-win safety benefits at a fraction of the cost of permanent construction.

A larger safety action plan will help guide future projects to meet the 2045 goal.

About the Safety Action Plan

To develop the safety action plan, city staff collected feedback from the community. Staff also used data to map crashes from the past decade. The results created the city’s high-risk network, an outline of the 9% of Greeley streets that account for almost half the city’s fatal and serious collisions.

The plan suggests ways to make streets safer, including:

• Engineering fixes: Changing road designs, like narrowing lanes to slow traffic.
• Education campaigns: Teaching people how to drive, bike and walk safely.
• Enforcement strategies: Encouraging safe driving habits through rules and penalties.

The complete safety action plan also outlines a timeline for implementation. It is available to read at speakupgreeley.com/safety-action-plan.

Why Vision Zero

Vision Zero is a global traffic safety initiative endorsed by the U.S. Department of Transportation. It aims to create a transportation system that prioritizes safety as a policy. Vision Zero uses data to find the root causes of traffic crashes. It addresses them with strategies rooted in the Safe System Approach.

Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) Grant

The Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) program aims to end roadway fatalities and serious injuries. It provides funding to develop tools to strengthen a community’s approach to roadway safety, save lives, and prevent serious harm.

During the January 7 City Council meeting, city staff presented an informational session with findings from the Vision Zero research and engagement undertaken in 2024. Play the entire presentation on the city's CivicClerk portal. The presentation begins at 1:18:25.

Key Findings

Some key findings include:

• Over the past 10 years, the majority of Greeley's severe and fatal crashes have occurred in Wards I and II. 84 percent of bicycle and pedestrian fatalities and severe injuries also occurred in Wards I and II.
• 43% of fatal and severe crashes take place on just 9% of Greeley's streets. This is the high risk network.
  • These streets share certain characteristics: They tend to be high-speed and high-volume corridors, in proximity to school zones, with mixed use for both commercial and residential purposes.

Explore additional details on the project webmap. Based on the data gathered, the city has gathered a toolbox of proven safety countermeasures to create an action plan that will reduce dangerous collisions in Greeley.

Next Steps

The City of Greeley has received a $10 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation to construct quick-build projects to resolve some of the most pressing safety concerns around Greeley.

Staff have requested City Council undertake a resolution in support of the Vision Zero plan at the January 21 meeting in order to meet the requirements of the grant and begin work on the action plan.

GET Transit will offer zero fares on all trips from July 1 through August 31.

This year, GET is once again participating in the Colorado Zero Fare for Better Air Campaign. Fares are free on all services July 1-August 31, 2024. This includes Poudre Express, Paratransit and UCHealth Call N Ride services.

GET offers zero fares across its system as part of the Zero Fare for Better Air initiative. This collaborative, statewide initiative, made possible by Colorado Senate Bill 22-180, in partnership with the Colorado Energy Office, is designed to reduce ground level ozone by increasing use of public transit.

We hope you take advantage of the Zero Fare initiative this summer to try transit to get to work, school, a doctor’s appointment, or a weekend exploring Colorado. Plan your route today.

"In theory, the City of Greeley’s mission for Vision Zero is simple: bring the number of fatal and serious injury crashes down to zero.

In practice, things get a little more complicated.

'Safety is a shared responsibility,' Greeley city engineer Steven Younkin said. 'So for the people of Greeley, everyone taking responsibility for their part is key.'

The city has three objectives when it comes to Vision Zero, which launched in April.

First is gathering input from residents on what they believe will make transportation in Greeley safer, as well as analyzing traffic data collected by the city.

Then, the city will set about crafting the transportation system that allows zero fatalities to become a reality. But city officials know crafting that system will require a little trial and error ... "

To read the rest of the interview by Chris Bolin, visit the Greeley Tribune.

In "A glimpse at the near future of getting around Greeley," the Greeley Tribune and Public Works Director Paul Trombino discuss the city's upcoming transportation projects planned to address the growth, specifically focusing on keeping the connection between different areas of the city.

Read the complete story here.

The city has been pursuing various grant opportunities to improve mobility for all users in the community, including the SS4A Demonstration grant for citywide traffic calming as well as targeted intersection improvements along high-impact areas like 35th Avenue.

Going forward, the city is moving away from on-street bike lanes and prioritizing shared-use, off-street paths for bicycles and pedestrians. We have applied for funding which would begin building a network of protected bicycle lanes. Future grant efforts will target enhancing low-stress bicycle and walking networks.