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D.4
To: Board of Supervisors
From: Brian M. Balbas, Public Works Director/Chief Engineer
Date: March  1, 2022
The Seal of Contra Costa County, CA
Contra
Costa
County
Subject: Contra Costa County Vision Zero Final Report and Vision Zero Action Plan, Countywide.
APPROVE OTHER
RECOMMENDATION OF CNTY ADMINISTRATOR RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE
Action of Board On:   03/01/2022
APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED OTHER
Clerks Notes:

VOTE OF SUPERVISORS

AYE:
John Gioia, District I Supervisor
Candace Andersen, District II Supervisor
Diane Burgis, District III Supervisor
Karen Mitchoff, District IV Supervisor
Federal D. Glover, District V Supervisor
Contact: Monish Sen, 925.313.2187
I hereby certify that this is a true and correct copy of an action taken and entered on the minutes of the Board of Supervisors on the date shown.
ATTESTED:     March  1, 2022
Monica Nino, County Administrator
 
BY: , Deputy

 

RECOMMENDATION(S):

CONSIDER accepting the Contra Costa County Vision Zero Final Report dated February 2022, as recommended by the Transportation, Water and Infrastructure Committee; and ADOPT the Vision Zero Action Plan, as recommended by the Public Works Director.

FISCAL IMPACT:

No fiscal impact.

BACKGROUND:

The Vision Zero Action Plan demonstrates Contra Costa County's commitment to Vision Zero: the elimination of severe injuries and fatalities resulting from traffic collisions on County roadways. The purpose of Contra Costa County’s Vision Zero Action Plan is to identify opportunities for safety for all modes through implementation of a Safe System approach. This builds upon the engineering-focused Systemic Safety Analysis Report (SSAR) to provide a comprehensive, multidisciplinary, and holistic approach to safety. The Vision Zero Final Report summarizes and documents the County’s Vision Zero Action Plan.  
BACKGROUND: (CONT'D)
      
    Between the study years of 2014 and 2018, 2,256 collisions occurred in unincorporated Contra Costa County that resulted in injuries of any severity. The number of annual collisions increased by 18% during this period, with collisions resulting in someone being killed or severely injured (KSI) reaching a peak in 2018, which is the last year in which data was collected for the Vision Zero Final Report. The engineering-focused recommendations in the SSAR are a key step forward in curbing the rise in KSI collisions.  
      
    The Final Report also identifies a High Injury Network (HIN) for the County, establishing a framework for the development of 11 collision profiles and 35 project locations. The resulting ten priority projects were selected from the project locations list by studying the collision data, collision factors, and incorporating feedback from the community (via an interactive webmap).  
      
    While the priority projects focus on infrastructure improvements, the Final Report also discusses infrastructure recommendations, including road users, safe speeds, post-crash care, equity considerations, and emerging technologies. The Safe System approach understands that humans make mistakes and are vulnerable, but the responsibility is shared, safety is proactive, and redundancy is crucial. The Vision Zero Action Plan aims to support a safety culture that includes education and engagement, cross-sector partnerships, emergency response and post-crash care, emerging technology implementation, and data collection and management.  
      
    The goal of Vision Zero is the ultimate elimination of fatalities and severe injuries on County roadways through the continuation of existing efforts and programs, along with implementation of the additional recommendations outlined in the Action Plan.  
      
    Many municipalities locally, nationally, and worldwide, such as San Francisco and the City of Fremont, have adopted a Vision Zero program. The County began this effort to create an Action Plan, in response to a spike in fatalities on County roads occurring between 2015 and 2017. The Contra Costa Transportation Authority (CCTA) is also concurrently developing a Vision Zero framework on a higher level, whereas the County’s Vision Zero Action Plan focuses on unincorporated roadways. Adoption of the Vision Zero Final Report and Action Plan will also qualify as the County’s requirement for the Local Road Safety Program (LRSP) that all municipalities in California are required to fulfill in order to receive One Bay Area Grant (OBAG) and Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) grant funding.  
      
    The County’s Vision Zero Final Report and Action Plan was prepared by transportation engineering consultant Fehr & Peers, under the direction of the Public Works Department. As part of this effort, the team launched a Technical Advisory Committee (TAC), made up of representatives of the Department of Conservation and Development, County Public Health, the California Highway Patrol, CCTA, 511 Contra Costa, and bicycle advocates. This TAC met four times over the course of six months. The TAC produced two documents that were incorporated into the final Plan.   
      
    The Systemic Safety Analysis Report (SSAR) laid out the framework for where, when, and how crashes are occurring on unincorporated County roadways. This document was finalized and accepted by the California State Department of Transportation (Caltrans). The SSAR is a more “engineering-focused” document, and while the Vision Zero Final Report contains some of the same technical information as the SSAR, it is more expansive in nature. It builds upon the the SSAR to include a more holistic approach to roadway safety for non-engineering partners, such as County Public Health, Law Enforcement, advocacy groups, and County Planning.  
      
    The Contra Costa County’s Vision Zero Action Plan and Final Report is the culmination of four years’ effort to improve safety on the public roads in the unincorporated areas of Contra Costa County.  
      
    On November 8, 2021, the Transportation Water and Infrastructure Committee (TWIC) accepted the draft of the Final Vision Zero Report, dated October 2021, and directed Public Works staff to incorporate comments and present to the full Board of Supervisors for adoption.  
      
    Key Takeaways
    1. From 2014 to 2018, there were 252 collisions that resulted in people being killed or severely injured (KSI) on Contra Costa County roads (county-owned and maintained non-freeways), and the total number of collisions resulting in injuries increased by 18%. Of all these collisions, 70% occurred on the High Injury Network (HIN), which makes up only 22% of roadway miles.
    1. Pedestrian- and bicycle-involved collisions account for a disproportionate share of KSI collisions relative to their travel mode share.
    1. Eleven systemic safety profiles highlight the most common, severe, and noteworthy collision patterns in the County. Those with the most associated KSIs include the following:
    • Driving Under the Influence
    • Vehicles Crossing into Opposing Lanes on Rural Roads
    • Roadway Departure Collisions on Rural Roads
    • Collisions at Signalized Intersections of Major (5+ Lanes) and Minor (3 Lanes or Fewer) Streets
    • Bicycle-Involved Collisions along Rural Roadways where Bicycle Facilities Do Not Exist
    1. From these 11 systemic profiles, 35 projects have been recommended Countywide, with 10 identified as priorities. The projects address critical gaps in pedestrian and bicycle facilities, gateway locations at the rural/suburban edge (some of the busiest intersections in the County), and many locations with opportunities to work with partnering agencies and organizations.
    1. Following the Safe System approach, non-engineering countermeasures have also been identified to address the systemic profiles, including media campaigns, school and community partnerships, data-driven enforcement, post-crash care, and monitoring and evaluation.
    1. Eight of the twelve actions were identified for cross-departmental collaboration that focus on implementation, monitoring, and accountability in support of the Vision Zero goal. This list of actions is envisioned to be refreshed on a periodic basis, as necessary, to support sustained progress.
      
    Guiding Principles  
      
    As an equity-focused and community data-driven initiative to proactively implement multimodal transportation safety improvements, this Vision Zero Plan aims to eliminate fatal and severe injuries throughout unincorporated Contra Costa County by 2035. Key elements of this approach include the following:  
      
      
    1. Safety is the highest priority: Motor vehicle collisions should not result in a fatality or serious injury on County roadways. They are preventable and unacceptable incidents.
    1. People make mistakes: Errant driver behavior will be taken into consideration for design, construction, operation, and continuous evaluation of roads to determine the impact of such driver behavior on the most vulnerable road users.
    1. Safety is a shared responsibility: The goal is to create a roadway system where users, roadway designers, law enforcement, and post-crash care cohesively reinforce safety.
    1. A data-driven approach: Ongoing evaluation should continue to identify where and why traffic collisions are occurring and prioritize projects and programs that eliminate fatal and severe collisions. Proactive and reactive data-driven engineering decisions have been and will be made to design and manage roadways to reduce the severity of collisions.
    1. Transportation networks must be equitable: The transportation networks in unincorporated Contra Costa County must be equitable to all road users and serve all ages and abilities. Equity Priority Communities will be considered as projects are developed. New safety interventions will not worsen equity concerns, especially as it relates to enforcement.
    1. Vision Zero will be accountable and transparent: Evaluation through an equity lens will be ongoing. The County strives to be transparent in its communications on roadway designs, prioritizing competing improvements, and use of resources needed to reduce fatal and severe collisions on County roadways.

    CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:

    Failure to adopt the Vision Zero Final Report will disqualify the County from receiving Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) and One Bay Area Grant (OBAG) funding due to the State’s requirement that each jurisdiction adopt a Local Roadway Safety Plan (LRSP), or equivalent, such as a Vision Zero Plan.
    CLERK'S ADDENDUM

    Speakers:  No name given; Caller 6770; Huan, West County resident; Peter;

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