AKRON, Ohio — The Akron Metropolitan Area Transportation Study wants residents to help the agency craft an action plan to improve some of the most unsafe roadways in the region.
An online survey will be available through Friday, Jan. 6, and will be supplemented by additional opportunities for the community to weigh in, AMATS said in a release.
The initiative is part of the Safe Streets for All program, a federal funding source aligned with the nation’s Vision Zero Goal, which is a strategy to eliminate all traffic deaths while increasing safety and mobility for all modes of transportation — walking, biking and transit.
AMATS’ SS4A Taskforce will use the information gathered to develop multiple solutions to common causes of serious and fatal crashes in Summit and Portage counties, and northeast Wayne County, identifying how, when and why they happen, the agency said.
The result will enable AMATS to build out a roster of potential safety-improvement projects that could be eligible for future funding, the agency said.
The information gathered would allow AMATS to formulate a comprehensive action plan rather than taking a “piecemeal approach” in which communities create separate plans, said AMATS Planning Administrator Matt Stewart.
“Transportation safety affects all of us and so we strongly encourage all members of the public to visit our survey link on our agency website,” Stewart said.
AMATS said its SS4A Taskforce would include “Complete Streets” design principles in the resulting solutions.
According to the Federal Highway Administration, “Complete Streets” approaches vary by community needs but are intended to support people of all ages and abilities. Elements can include everything from bike and bus lanes to pedestrian signals and landscaping.
The survey questions are tailored to individual opinions and experience in the Greater Akron region, while the remaining portion of the survey enables users to submit specific safety concerns, AMATS said.
Residents are also encouraged to share the link with others to enable the agency to gather a robust volume of information. For more information on the survey, contact AMATS at 330-375-2436 or visit the AMATS website.