Hitting the streets can be more than just a commute in Raleigh, where the Transportation Department is calling on its residents to bring their voices to the table, or rather, the road, in a series of public meetings designed to curb traffic accidents and bring about a safer travel environment for everyone. Raleigh's Safe Streets for All (SS4A) plan has the ambitious goal of eliminating serious injuries and fatalities from crashes by the year 2045, and with only three public meetings left, time's ticking for community members to pitch in with their suggestions and concerns.
Vision Zero Manager Sean Driskill emphasized the importance of community involvement, stating "We’re using data and community input to guide targeted safety improvements across the city, focusing on high-priority areas to reduce serious injuries and fatalities," and acknowledging that although implementation hinges on several factors such as funding and coordination with local and state agencies progress is expected to advance over the coming years, the City of Raleigh reported.
Attending these meetings has tangible benefits as residents have the capacity to directly influence the transportation landscape and enact changes that could span from beefing up infrastructures to revising policy, not to mention the unique opportunity to link up with representatives from multiple city departments including Raleigh Parking, GoRaleigh/Transit, and Traffic Engineering.
The meeting schedule is as follows: next Monday, Feb. 17; 4:30–7 p.m. at Carolina Pines Community Center, Tuesday, Feb. 25; the same time span at Laurel Hills Community Center and Wednesday, March 5; once again, mark 4:30–7 p.m. on your calendars for Abbotts Creek Community Center, this series isn't merely a discussion about transportation it's a communal effort to fortify the city's skeleton of streets and pathways in a fashion that benefits all who traverse them, whether on wheel, on foot, on bikes, or using public transit as outlined by the City of Raleigh.
