I wanted to take a minute to let you know about the latest efforts to develop Local Road Safety Plans (LRSPs) among several local agencies in Nebraska.
For a quick intro to LRSPs, they are plans that provide a framework for organizing stakeholders to identify, analyze, and prioritize roadway safety improvements on local and rural roads. Preparing an LRSP facilitates the development of local agency partnerships and collaboration, resulting in a prioritized list of improvements and actions, based on real data, that can reduce fatalities and serious injuries on local roads. The LRSP offers a proactive, systemic approach to addressing safety needs and demonstrates agency responsiveness to safety challenges. The plan is meant to be continuously monitored and updated. Good deal, right? Another benefit of having a LRSP is that it can be leveraged when applying for grants to fund the safety projects and improvements identified in your LRSP. This has led several local agencies in our state to start working on their own LRSP.
Across the country, there are many states that are completely blanketed by LRSPs. Nebraska is behind the curve, although NDOT has tried to promote this effort for many years. In the past, we did a pilot project with federal safety funding to have a consultant write a few LRSPs. I would say that effort was less than successful. The major lesson learned from that experience is that it will take a committed champion (or two!), a dedicated group of local stakeholders, some political will, and support from our highway safety professionals to developing and implement effective LRSPs in Nebraska.
If you think you have what it takes, please let me know! We have a cohort of 6 counties and one city that is working thru the process right now. To some extent, we are all learning together as we move ahead, it’s been fun so far! We are still in the early stages, so I would love to add your local agency to this prestigious group! I have been sending resources, crash data, and annoying motivational messages to these folks for a while now, but I will strive to catch you up! Think about it.