The Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) and other partners signed a Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP) for 2025-2029. The goal of the plan is to “take a proactive approach to zero deaths,” according to the agency.
Multiple agencies, including the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security (DOS&HS), the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) collaborated to develop the SHSP. TDOT said that at this time in 2023, the state had seen 187 deadly crashes involving “vulnerable road users.” The new plan seeks to reduce that number.
Butch Eley, Tennessee deputy governor and TDOT commissioner, emphasized communication in the plan and said each network partner plays a critical role.
“Every component of our transportation system interacts, and we must work together, coordinate our efforts, and commit to a unified vision for safer travels for everyone,” he said.
To address the needs of those vulnerable users, TDOT said it would continue to invest in infrastructure, including sidewalks, crosswalk visibility enhancements and bikeways. Over the past five years, TDOT said the agency implemented more than 300 safety projects totaling $239 million. Nearly 15% of those improvements were focused specifically on vulnerable road users.
Additionally, within the emphasis area of vulnerable road users, the SHSP outlined many action items, including promoting existing bicycle and pedestrian laws. The plan also listed a goal of amending legislation so that cyclists could use either arm to signal a right turn.
The state will evaluate the SHSP on a regular basis to ensure data accuracy and the priority of chosen strategies. The Steering Committee, which oversees the SHSP, will meet once quarterly to monitor action items, evaluate and update the plan as needed. One of the SHSP’s action items is also to create a dashboard that would summarize the performance of each action item.
Source: WKRN.com, Clarksvilleonline.com
