August 2020 – Speed is the number one factor in whether a person will survive a traffic crash or be involved in one. With the concerning numbers of people being hurt and killed on roadways in Hillsborough County, several approaches are needed to reduce injuries and deaths. This is why the Hillsborough MPO sponsored a study of speed management and safety, with recommendations like adding midblock crossings, coordinating signals that optimize an appropriate speed, installing roundabouts, and many other tools that help make roadways safe for people driving, walking, catching the bus, or bicycling. The Speed Management Action Plan also lists a call to action around setting safe speeds, engineering and operations, education and enforcement, policy and legislation, and plan evaluation.
Stakeholder meetings were held to guide prioritizing and treating roads where excessive speed was a factor in the crash history. The Action Plan identifies corridors that would benefit from speed reduction and includes recommendations for treatments to reduce a driver’s tendency to speed. The MPO Board approved the plan at its July meeting.
Check out the Speed Management Action Plan here.
