We want to make it safer and more comfortable for everyone to travel in Fresno County.
Every day, people travel around Fresno County – to work, to go to school, to run errands, to have fun, and to meet their daily needs. Some people drive or carpool, some ride motorcycles, and some walk, ride their bicycles, or take transit. Nearly everyone will start and end their trip by walking, with some people using mobility aids, such as a wheelchair, walker, or assistive cane. No matter how or why you’re traveling, Fresno COG wants you to reach your destination safely.
Recently, Fresno County has seen an increase in crashes on our streets that lead to death or serious injuries. By working together, we can change this. The Regional Safety Plan and the Local Road Safety Plan are the first steps to making sure everyone who travels in Fresno County will get home safely at the end of their day.
We can’t do this without you!
You can help us create better and safer ways to travel. Do you live, work, or spend time in Fresno County? Have you ever had an uncomfortable or unsafe experience while traveling on our streets? To fix our safety problems, we need to hear from everyone – you, your friends, families, children, and neighbors, along with community business owners and employees. Keep reading to learn how to get involved and share your knowledge and ideas with us!
The public input phase has closed for the plan.
What is the Regional Safety Plan?
Communities across the United States use this kind of plan to identify their transportation safety problems, find proven solutions that save lives and reduce injuries, and educate people about ways to prevent crashes from happening.
This Regional Safety Plan will follow these steps:
- Bring together a Regional Safety Steering Committee of representatives from across Fresno County to review our work and help us make decisions.
- Study past crashes and gather public input to learn where, when, and why crashes happen in the county.
- Identify the safety solutions that research shows will prevent the most common types of crashes that occur in Fresno County, and tailor them to the ways people travel in different parts of the county.
- Develop a transportation safety education program that will help people make choices that reduce their risk of being involved in a crash.
- Create a roadmap for action, called an implementation plan, that helps Fresno County communities use public dollars in ways that save the most lives and prevent the most injuries.
What is the Local Road Safety Plan?
This Local Road Safety Plan builds on the work being done as part of the Regional Safety Plan, creating a local safety plan for roads in the following 10 jurisdictions:
- Unincorporated Fresno County
- Clovis
- Coalinga
- Firebaugh
- Huron
- Kerman
- Mendota
- Orange Cove
- San Joaquin
- Selma
The Local Road Safety Plan will bring together local agencies with other safety partners to align safety efforts across jurisdictions. Each local agency will develop its own safety goals, policies, and project priorities, but creating a multi-jurisdictional plan allows for sharing of resources and provides a structure to support each local agency.
The Plan will follow these steps:
- Convene Local Working Groups that bring together local staff and stakeholders from all 10 jurisdictions to provide local perspectives that help the project team make decisions.
- Study past crashes and gather public input to learn where, when, and why crashes happen across the jurisdictions included in the Plan.
- Identify the safety solutions that research shows will prevent the most common types of crashes that occur across the 10 jurisdictions.
- Identify the elements of the regional safety education program that can most help improve safety in each jurisdiction.
- Develop high-priority locations for potential safety improvements and ensure each jurisdiction is ready to apply for grant funding for safety improvements.
Spring 2021 Public Engagement Update
Fresno COG has been working to gather input from communities throughout Fresno County. This June, the project team launched our first online survey where over 800 people shared their experiences traveling around the County. We met with school staff, public safety officials, and first responders to learn from their unique perspectives on safety needs. To connect with people in person, we set up information tables at:
- Clinica Sierra Vista Elm Community Center in Southwest Fresno
- Cherry Avenue Auction off Highway 41
- Riverdale Swap Meet in Riverdale
All New Gallery A Selma resident shares their roadway safety concerns at the Cherry Avenue Auction A Selma resident shares their roadway safety concerns at the Cherry Avenue Auction Community members react to project information at the Riverdale Swap Meet Community members react to project information at the Riverdale Swap Meet
Throughout these different outreach activities, people shared similar concerns. Most people said that, at least some of the time, they worry about their safety while making trips in Fresno County. They described collisions happening at intersections and turn lanes, especially when drivers fail to obey traffic lights or stop signs. People noted that many communities do not have enough sidewalks, bike facilities, or opportunities to safely cross the street. Poor visibility and a lack of lighting can make it hard for travelers to see each other. Unsafe driver behavior is a major issue, especially aggressive driving, distracted driving, and speeding.
The project team will use what we heard from Fresno County’s communities to recommend safety improvements and develop a transportation safety education program.
The project team will use what we heard from Fresno County’s communities to recommend safety improvements and develop a transportation safety education program.
Project schedule
Both plans will take a little over a year. We began work in late 2020 and expect to complete the final plans in early 2022.
Click here for a PDF of the project schedule.
Project library and updates
We’ll share important documents here as well as key updates throughout the project.
Regional Safety Plan
Regional Safety Plan Final Report– 12/2021
- Appendix A – Steering Committee
- Appendix B – Outreach and Engagement
- Appendix C – Existing Conditions Part 1
- Appendix C – Existing Conditions Part 2
- Appendix D – Engineering Strategies
- Appendix E – Education Program
Multi Jurisdictional Local Road Safety Plan
Fresno COG MLRSP Final Report Part 1
Fresno COG MLRSP Final Report Part 2
- Appendix A – Stakeholder Engagement
- Appendix B – Countermeasures Toolbox
Contact us
Do you have questions, ideas, or concerns? Contact comment@fresnocog.org to share your input or to be added to our mailing list for project updates.
Translation and Interpretation
Fresno COG is committed to making sure all community members can join our efforts to improve road safety. To request interpretation or translation, please call 559-233-4148 or email comment@fresnocog.org