Fort Worth took a step towards a plan it hopes will make roads safer. The city kicked off a new round of public feedback on a Vision Zero plan to reduce traffic on city streets, ramping up to a council vote and the ability to get to work improving infrastructure.
The city of Fort Worth kicked off a new round of public feedback this week on a Vision Zero plan to make roads safer.
City officials say they’re now fine-tuning the program years in the making which is designed to reduce traffic injuries and deaths.
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WATCH HEREAt an open house Wednesday, the city invited residents to weigh in on nearly three dozen action strategies.
“At this point, we’ve done all the data analysis of crashes occurring in the city over a five year period. We’ve identified hot spots for crashes, and now we have some recommendations for not only infrastructure projects but also policies that we’d like to pursue over the next few years,” said senior capital projects officer Chelsea St. Louis.
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SIGN UP “We have been advocating for safer streets and wider streets,” said Danielle Tucker.
Tucker, who owns a business in Fort Worth, was among those who took the chance to weigh in.
She said the plan doesn’t go far enough, excluding some areas like Mosier Valley, where she said roads are outdated and narrow.
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“When a car or truck is coming, sometimes you have to stop and allow the truck to pass or they’ll let you pass to maintain the public safety in the area,” she said.
After improvements were left out of a recent bond package, Tucker was hopeful Vision Zero would be another chance.
While the plan prioritizes 10 larger-scale projects, officials say it is just one part of a broader master transportation planning effort.
But some question how long it will take to move from studies to solutions.
“I feel like we have a long way to go before we can say that Fort Worth is a zero-accident city. It’s one thing to have a plan, but we need solutions now,” said resident Jason Ballmann.
After collecting feedback, the city said the council will need to approve the plan before it’s submitted for funding.
The city anticipates adopting the master transportation plan early next year.
