Recent roadway crashes in Boca Raton’s downtown area killed five people and severely injured others. One of the fatalities was a cyclist. The city’s commitment to Vision Zero has the goal of eliminating fatalities and severe injuries on the city’s roadways. This includes motorists, cyclists, and pedestrians.
Recent Crashes
- March 3, 2023 a truck killed a cyclist at Federal Highway and Palmetto Park Road.
- March 11, 2023 a car killed a passenger and severely injured others at Dixie Highway and Palmetto Park Road.
- March 18, 2023 a car hit a pole on Dixie Highway south of Palmetto Park Road killing three people.
- Between March 15, 2022 and March 15, 2023 there were 266 vehicle crashes of which seven involved bicycles and four involved pedestrians. This was within a half-mile radius of the intersection of Dixie Highway and Palmetto Park Road.
A Crash Elimination Plan is Needed
Boca Raton is in need a top-down action plan to eliminate fatalities and severe injuries on its roadways. This is a massive undertaking across federal, state, county and various city stakeholders. So, BocaFirst launched our own “Vision Zero Project” on BocaFirst.org. Besides our detailed Bike Map, Problem Reporter and YouTube Channel, a Project Tracker here reports the City’s progress on its Vision Zero plan. For convenience, the Tracker is also at the end of this article.
A description of each item in the schedule follows:
Resolution 122-2022 – the city council passed this which directs staff to develop a Vision Zero action plan.
Action Plan
Grant Submission/Award – On September 15, 2022 the city submitted an application for a US Department of Transportation (USDOT) grant for funds to develop a Vision Zero action plan. The USDOT name for their Vision Zero program is Safe streets for All. Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) Grant Program | US Department of Transportation On February 1, 2023 the city was notified that it qualified for an award of $300,000 to develop the plan.
USDOT Grant Agreement – To start receiving the $300,000 action plan grant money the city must agree to specific terms and conditions specified by the USDOT. The goal is to have the grant agreement signed by April 30, 2023.
Contractor
RFP – Appropriate vendors will receive Vision Zero action plan proposal requests.
Proposals – The contractors who received the RFP will respond to the city with proposals for developing the Vision Zero action plan.
Agreement – The city will sign an agreement with the winning contractor..
Plan Development – It will take until the end of 2023 to execute an agreement with the selected contractor. Finally, work can then begin on developing the Vision Zero action plan. Current estimates are that the action plan will be completed by October 30, 2024. All major stakeholders as well as residents will be asked to participate in the reviews of the plans developed by the contractor. As scheduling information becomes available, we will update the Vision Zero Action Plan Progress Tracker.
Summary
Having crashes causing fatalities and serious injuries on Boca Raton’s roadways is unacceptable and preventable. A consequential Vision Zero plan is a solution to these problems in order for the city to develop an action plan for eliminating fatalities and serious injuries. A superficial one will not.
