Safe Streets Pinellas

Safe Streets Pinellas is an ongoing Vision Zero initiative for Forward Pinellas. The centerpiece of Safe Streets Pinellas was the development an Action Plan that the MPO is now implementing through partnerships with coordinating agencies with policies and commitments to improving health and safety for residents in Pinellas County. The MPO plans to align priority projects and available funding with the elements and strategies in the Action Plan to reduce the number of traffic fatalities and serious injuries throughout the county.

The PGA Planning Group, working with prime consultant Fehr & Peers, led public outreach efforts which included developing a custom Public Outreach Plan and supporting a project Task Force and working with local agencies in Pinellas County to identify and conduct live demonstration and pilot projects at various locations indicated on the High Injury Network (HIN). A high level of engagement with local media and social media outlets was part of the outreach plan, as well as several interactive ways for the public and partner agencies to provide input, participate in plan development, and offer feedback. The team quickly adjusted to restrictions due to COVID-19 and kept the project moving forward with virtual meetings, interactive online tools, and maps that engaged stakeholders with opportunities to record input about conditions at specific locations and offered unique opportunities for communities of concern to be involved.

Live demonstration and pilot projects represented highly successful collaborations between the consultant project team, Forward Pinellas staff, and local city and county staff. These projects took many forms and were designed to spotlight the use of safety countermeasures and give stakeholders a picture of how they operate and what they look like when constructed.