SJTPO Region Local Road Safety Plans

The South Jersey Transportation Planning Organization (SJTPO) is facilitating the creation of Countywide Local Road Safety Plans (LRSPs) for Atlantic, Cape May, Cumberland, and Salem Counties.

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Project Overview

About the Project

The South Jersey Transportation Planning Organization (SJTPO), the designated Metropolitan Planning Organization for Atlantic, Cape May, Cumberland, and Salem Counties, is managing the development and implementation of Countywide Local Road Safety Plans (LRSPs) for Atlantic, Cape May, Cumberland, and Salem Counties. This effort is intended to address the unique safety needs on county and municipal roads, while contributing to the goals and objectives of the New Jersey 2020 Strategic Highway Safety Plan.

An LRSP provides a framework for identifying, analyzing, and prioritizing roadway safety improvements on local roads. The LRSP development process and content are tailored to local issues and needs. The process results in a prioritized list of issues, risks, actions, and improvements that can be used to reduce fatalities and serious injuries on local roads.

The planning process will include extensive data analysis and engagement of stakeholders in the county, municipal, state, private, and non-profit sectors. Public and stakeholder engagement activities, including a series of public workshops, will provide opportunities to build consensus on safety strategies in each county. Development of a LRSP will be advantageous both in incorporating safety countermeasures in all local roadway improvements as well as securing federal and state grants.

The counties will utilize the Safe System Approach (SSA) to develop their LRSPs. This holistic approach to roadway safety has been adopted by the USDOT and widely across the transportation community as an effective way to address and mitigate risks in our transportation system. SSA focuses on both human mistakes and human vulnerability and involves designing a system with multiple layers of protection to prevent crashes and minimizing the risk of fatality or serious injury when crashes do occur. The adjacent figure illustrates the six principles of the SSA approach on the outside of the wheel and the five objectives on the inside of the wheel. The figure on the right illustrates how implementation of strategies considering the five objectives provides layers of protection for road users.

Source: FHWA

Project Background

In 2020, New Jersey conducted a comprehensive update to its statewide Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP). This plan was developed through collaboration among stakeholders across the state and examined emphasis areas such as intersections, driver behavior, lane departure, pedestrian and bicycle conditions, equity and other key issues identified through crash data and stakeholder engagement.

The Countywide Local Road Safety Plans are intended to build on the foundation established by the current SHSP. Separate Countywide Local Road Safety Plans are to be prepared for Atlantic, Cape May, Cumberland, and Salem Counties. These plans will provide the basis for a customized implementation of safety countermeasures across each county, at both the county and municipal levels.

Project Schedule

The process for each Countywide LRSP began in January 2023 and final plans are expected to be completed by 2025. Engaging with the public and stakeholders at different stages of the process provides opportunities to build consensus and allows local residents and stakeholders to contribute their expertise.

Countywide Local Road Safety Plans

Each county will develop an LRSP that identifies an extensive series of safety countermeasures and actions that will increase the overall safety for roadway users. The LRSP will recommend a prioritized list of proposed safety improvements for the entire road network or a significant subset of the network. These recommendations will be based on current crash trends and crash risks, as well as stakeholder feedback and participation in the process.