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A Presentation and Discussion on the Draft Oak Park Vision Zero Action Plan as Recommended by the Transportation Commission
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Introduction
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At the December 9, 2024, Transportation Commission (TC) meeting, the TC recommended approving the Oak Park Vision Zero Action Plan (VZP). Vision Zero is a commitment to the goal of consistently having zero transportation-related deaths or serious injuries in the Village. The VZP details the Village’s approach on how to get there. This will be a presentation of the draft Vision Zero Action Plan and a discussion of the recommendations included in the VZP. Staff will incorporate input from the Board’s discussion into the final version of the VZP which will be presented at a future Board meeting for approval.
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Recommended Action
None at this time. This is a presentation and discussion. Staff will incorporate input from the Board’s discussion into the final version of the VZP which will be presented at a future Board meeting for approval.
Prior Board Action
• At the May 7, 2024 Village Board meeting, the Village Board authorized the submission of a Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) application with the United States Department of Transportation for a Planning and Demonstration Project Grant to implement recommendations from the Vision Zero Plan. (RES. 24-199).
• At the May 15, 2023 Board meeting, the Village Board approved a Local Public Agency Engineering Services Agreement with Sam Schwartz Engineering, D.P.C. for a Vision Zero Plan in an amount not to exceed $176,620. (RES 23-160).
• At the March 20, 2023, Village Board meeting, the Village Board approved staff’s modifications to the Transportation Commission’s recommended processes and elements to be included in a Vision Zero plan. (MOT 23-20)
• At the February 21, 2023, Village Board meeting, the Village Board approved an Agreement between the State of Illinois, Illinois Department of Transportation, and Village of Oak Park for a Vision Zero Plan in an amount not to Exceed $120,000 (RES 23-96).
• At the March 21, 2022, Village Board meeting, the Village Board approved the submission of a Statewide Planning and Research Program (SPR) Grant Application with the Illinois Department of Transportation for a Vision Zero Plan. (RES 22-71)
Background
In 2023, the Village received a grant from the State to create a Vision Zero Plan and started working with Sam Schwartz Engineering (now TYLin) on creating the Vision Zero Plan. On December 9, 2024, the Transportation Commission approved the draft Oak Park Vision Zero Action Plan which is being presented to the Board. Alex Hansen with TYLin, along with Village staff, will give a presentation on the VZP and its recommendations including discussions with the Board on some of the recommendations in the VZP which would adjust current policies for the use of vertical deflection tools such as speed tables, automated enforcement using red-light cameras, and what traffic calming by policy will mean for the traffic calming petition process and installations of future safety improvements throughout the Village.
Vision Zero is a commitment to the goal of consistently having zero transportation-related deaths or serious injuries in the Village. The Oak Park Vision Zero Action Plan (VZP) details our approach for how we will get there.
Data and community input are used to determine what the safety-related concerns are in the Village and why we need a VZP. The project team of Sam Schwartz, MUSE Community Design, and staff completed a detailed crash analysis (Appendix 2 of the VZP) using 5 years of crash data from IDOT to determine the locations and severity of the crashes. Crashes were then reviewed for severity of fatalities and serious injuries (KSI) and these KSI crashes were then analyzed to determine who they were happening to, when they were happening, contributing factors, etc. The results of this data-driven approach were used to create a High Injury Network (HIN) which is a Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) term used to define collector and arterial roads with the highest amount of KSI crashes. The HIN network accounts for just 14% of the roadway network’s intersections and length but accounts for 41% of all KSI crashes in the 5-year study period. Conceptual designs were developed for portions of the HIN focusing on Chicago Avenue from Kenilworth to Austin, the Jackson/Oak Park intersection, and the Ridgeland/Division intersection. Crash data and staff and community input were then used to create locations for other safety improvements, primarily for 20 crossing improvements throughout the Village.
The VZP does not identify specific improvements at specific locations on the local street network primarily due to a lack of crashes in the local network, especially for KSI crashes. For the local street network, the VZP used crash data and planning factors to determine where traffic calming improvements should be prioritized for implementation. Planning factors included equity and census information along with areas near higher pedestrian activity, especially with vulnerable users near schools and parks. These areas will be prioritized by staff to implement traffic calming by policy as part of future capital improvement projects without the need for resident petitions or robust public engagement.
Based on the safety issues identified through the data and community input process, the VZP developed ten strategies for achieving Vision Zero along with a toolbox of traffic calming and safety improvements. These ten strategies are identified in detail in the VZP. They include strategies for establishing ongoing improvements on the HIN, adopting traffic calming by policy to expand on the traffic calming petition process, creating a safe and comfortable network for walking and biking, increasing targeted enforcement, and traffic safety campaigns. Individual recommendations are listed under each strategy in the VZP along with a detailed description of the various tools that could be used for improving safety.
While many of these recommendations align with current policy or practice, there are a few recommendations that would create new policy or change from existing policy or practice. These include the use of vertical deflection tools such as speed tables and cushions, automated enforcement using red-light cameras, and what traffic calming by policy will mean for the traffic calming petition process and installations of future safety improvements throughout the Village.
The VZP recommends expanding the use of vertical deflection tools (speed cushions, raised crosswalks, and speed tables) beyond the current policy. The current Board direction restricts the use of speed tables to the 1150 South blocks and 1200 North blocks along Roosevelt Road and North Avenue. These tools are also not allowed to be utilized by the Transportation Commission for traffic calming petitions. The VZP recommends expanding the use of these tools so that Village staff can use these tools at additional locations near schools and parks, along the bike boulevard network, and in areas with excessive speeding based on traffic data. Speed tables and cushions would not be used on primary or secondary fire routes or on arterial streets. The Transportation Commission (TC) still could not use these as a tool for addressing traffic calming petitions. The use of speed tables and cushions at several locations on the interior of the community will likely generate mixed responses from residents as they impact all users of the roads.
The VZP recommends the use of automated traffic enforcement (red-light cameras) at signalized intersections on the HIN. The Village currently does not have any red-light cameras and this would be a departure from past practice. The VZP recommends having the Village maintain control of signal timing on these signals and dedicate revenues to safety and street improvements to address potential equity considerations. The use of red-light cameras on the interior of the Village will likely generate considerable public feedback.
The VZP also includes recommendations for implementing traffic calming by policy. This would be a slight departure from what has historically been done with the Transportation Commission generally reviewing petitions and making recommendations. This would be a proactive approach where staff would implement traffic calming and safety improvements typically without commission or resident petitions using the recommendations and priorities established in the VZP. In general, public engagement would not be solicited for many of the tools being used for pedestrian safety or calming. While staff is already doing this for implementing traffic calming and safety improvements as part of current roadway resurfacing projects, the recommendations in the VZP would expand the use of these tools and lead to the installation of more curb extensions/bump-outs, pinch points, chicanes, and vertical deflection tools. The initial installations of many of these improvements would be using paint and post treatments with concrete curbs and landscaping eventually being installed when there is a future roadway resurfacing project. There have been mixed reactions to these treatments in the Village even when they are used on blocks that have submitted petitions for traffic calming and were aware of the reasons behind their installation. Generally, staff would not solicit input from the public for these treatments and there will likely be concerns expressed from residents about these treatments following installation.
Staff will incorporate input from the Board’s discussion into the final version of the VZP which will be presented at a future Board meeting for approval. Once the VZP is approved, staff will finalize an agreement with the FHWA for the SS4A grant for planning and demonstration projects which includes developing a complete streets handbook and design guide, building demonstration projects on the HIN, building demonstration projects for safety improvements targeting schools and parks, signal modifications, etc.
Timing Considerations
Approval of the VZP in early 2025 will allow the Village to utilize the SS4A Planning and Demonstration Grant.
Budget Impact
There are no direct budget impacts associated with adopting the VZP. Multi-year budget impacts will be detailed with future annual budget proposals. The FY25 Budget includes $1,400,000 for implementation of the VZP in the Capital Improvement Fund. The Village received a $1,126,880 federal Safe Streets for All grant for implementing demonstration projects from the VZP and developing additional planning tools which will help offset the $1.4M in expenses planned for 2025.
Staffing Impact
Implementation and maintenance of improvements and recommendations from the Vision Zero Plan will have significant staffing impacts on various departments. The intent is that these new, or expanded, responsibilities will be operationalized over time and be part of the day-to-day activities of the Village staff. No new staff is anticipated with the VZP.
Recommendations regarding traffic safety enforcement will be led by the Police Department and will require filling vacant positions in order to be successful.
Recommendations regarding traffic safety and educational campaigns will be overseen by the Health Department with support from Communications and Engineering.
Recommended safety and traffic calming improvements for items like paint and post bump-outs, pinch points, and vertical tools such as speed tables will decrease operational efficiencies for Public Works for street sweeping and snow plowing and require additional maintenance.
The majority of the recommendations in the VZP will be the responsibility of the Engineering Division to oversee and implement and will require a significant portion of the daily workflow to accomplish. Many of these items included in the VZP are already being operationalized for things such as implementing traffic calming by policy. Engineering staff is also supported by consultants with Civiltech for providing staffing and support for traffic engineering-related items and they will be responsible for implementing some of the recommendations in the VZP for items such as managing our signal system to prioritize pedestrians, drafting crosswalk policies, monitoring safety trends, etc. Other recommendations for tracking progress towards Vision Zero and annual updates will be done by other consultants.
DEI Impact
Historically underserved communities have experienced a disproportionate share of fatal crashes. The Vision Zero Plan recognizes that getting to zero requires an intentional commitment to understanding these disparities and addressing them. One of the guiding principles of Vision Zero is the equitable implementation of infrastructure investments. Equity considerations are central to the Vision Zero Plan and are woven throughout the crash assessment, engagement, project prioritization, and strategies.
The project team conducted an equity analysis as part of an overall analysis of crash data and trends. This included examining fatal crashes and crash rates by race to identify disparities and developing an economic hardship index for census tracts in Oak Park to evaluate differences in severe crashes across census tracts. The equity analysis is included in the Crash Analysis Memo in Appendix 2. Based on the data, Oak Park’s highest hardship census tracks experienced slightly higher rates of fatalities and serious injuries than other census tracts (47.2 annual fatalities and serious injuries per 100,000 residents compared to 40.7 for other census tracts). The fatality rate for Hispanic or Latino individuals was five times higher than White individuals and the fatality rate for Black or African American individuals is more than double that of White individuals.
Engaging marginalized populations was prioritized during community engagement. The project team conducted in-depth focus groups with key audiences that are uniquely impacted by crashes: young adults (OPRF HS students), older adults, African American residents (APPLE: OPRF High School African American Parents for Purposeful Leadership), and Spanish-speaking residents (conducted in Spanish). Focus groups provided insight into safety issues and strategies to improve street safety.
Equity considerations are included in many of the recommendations in the VZP. The project team engaged with the Village’s Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer to discuss Vision Zero strategies, potential impacts specific to communities of color, and measures to mitigate any potential negative impacts. Traffic safety campaigns would be multilingual and use multiple outreach approaches to reach a broad audience. Traffic safety enforcement recommendations include training for officers, recommending dedicating revenues associated with red light cameras to traffic safety and street improvements, and working with the DEI officer to assess and gather community input regarding traffic stop data and red-light camera violations. Census tracts with higher hardship indexes were given higher weighting factors in order to prioritize improvements for residential traffic calming.
Community Input
Community engagement played a crucial role in shaping the recommendations in the Vision Zero Plan. The project team engaged residents and stakeholders in a variety of settings in order to gain a comprehensive understanding of the issues and desires of the community. A summary of the community engagement for the VZP is included as Appendix 1 of the VZP. There were two public workshops which had over 140 participants; pop-up engagements at farmer’s markets and Day in Our Village events; a community walking tour; three steering committee meetings with16 members representing commissions, the Park District, school districts, advocacy groups, businesses, community organizations, etc.; digital surveys using the Engage Oak Park site with over 400 responses; online mapping tools with over 1,000 points of feedback mapped; four focus group meetings including meetings with OPRF, older adults, parents from the OPRF’s African American Parents for Purposeful Leadership (APPLE), and with Spanish-speaking residents; as well as public meetings at the Transportation Commission.
The VZP was presented to the Transportation Commission (TC) over the course of six meetings as an opportunity to gather additional public input with these public meetings and to get feedback and input from the TC on numerous items. On September 12, 2023, the team gave a project introduction and overview. On February 12, 2024, the team presented the crash analysis and findings and a summary of the community input. On August 12, 2024, the team presented the draft goals, strategies, and actions of the VZP. On November 11, 2024, the team presented the draft Oak Park Vision Zero Action Plan and discussed key action items in the plan. On December 2, 2024, the team discussed key strategies and actions in the plan again with the TC to get final input regarding items such as traffic calming by policy, the use of vertical deflection tools such as speed tables, and automated enforcement with red-light cameras. On December 9, 2024, the team presented the final draft version of the plan and the Transportation Commission approved the Oak Park Vision Zero Action Plan.
Pending the approval of the VZP, the TC will be engaged on several of the recommendations included in the VZP as part of their annual work plans for items such as revising their traffic calming petition process to mesh with the VZP, reviewing red-light camera enforcement programs, reviewing updates the HIN every other year based on crash data, updating the complete streets policy, etc.
Staff Recommendation
Staff concurs with the Transportation Commission’s recommendations to approve the Oak Park Vision Zero Action Plan. This is a presentation and discussion and there is no formal Board action with this item. Staff recommends approving the VZP as presented.
Advantages:
• Approving the VZP with its current recommendations will improve transportation safety in the Village especially for the more vulnerable users of pedestrians and cyclists.
Disadvantages:
• Not approving the VZP would result in potentially unsafe conditions still persisting.
• Not approving the VZP would result in the Village not being able to use the current SS4A or secure future federal grants which may require the Village to have an adopted Vision Zero plan.
Alternatives
This is a presentation and discussion. Staff will incorporate input from the Board’s discussion into the final version of the VZP which will be presented at a future Board meeting for approval.
Alternative 1:
The Board can delay to gain additional information.
Advantages:
• The Board can be presented with the requested information.
Disadvantages:
• Significant delays could impact staff’s ability to incorporate recommendations into 2025 projects and impact the Village’s ability to use the SS4A grant.
Alternative 2:
The Board can decide not to include the expanded use of vertical deflection tools in the VZP and continue with the current policy for the use of the vertical deflection tools of speed tables or cushions only on the perimeter north-south streets.
Advantages:
• Costs savings of approximately $8,000 per installation.
• Improved operational efficiencies for street sweeping, snow plowing, and emergency response.
• Not impacting drivers using Village interior streets, especially drivers obeying posted speed limits.
Disadvantages:
• Misalignment with Transportation Commission and Staff’s recommendations to address concerns around speeding, especially in areas near parks, schools, and on the bike boulevard network.
• Potentially unsafe speeding conditions persist.
Alternative 3:
The Board can decide not to include the recommendation for the use of automated traffic enforcement (red-light cameras) at signalized intersections on the HIN in the VZP.
Advantages:
• Drivers in Oak Park would not be subject to automated enforcement of red-light tickets at signals within the Village limits.
Disadvantages:
• Potentially unsafe conditions would persist at signalized intersections for red-light violations.
Alternative 4:
The Board can decide to expand the use of automated traffic enforcement (red-light cameras) to additional signals beyond signals on the HIN.
Advantages:
• The HIN locations will change over time as safety improvements are implemented and when the VZP is updated. Expanding the use of red-light cameras to all signals will make the signalized intersections consistent within the Village and reduce the need to adjust the use of red-light cameras over time as the HIN changes.
• Potentially unsafe conditions would improve at additional signals beyond one currently identified on the HIN. Drivers in Oak Park would not be subject to automated enforcement of red-light tickets at signals within the Village limits.
Disadvantages:
• Drivers in Oak Park would be subject to automated enforcement of red-light tickets at all signals within the Village limits, not just at intersections with documented higher crash rates.
Alternative 4:
The Board can decide not to include the recommendations for implementing traffic calming by policy and require community engagement for safety or calming improvements.
Advantages:
• The community would have a chance to participate in the process for determine where and what treatments are used for improving safety and calming traffic.
Disadvantages:
• Traffic safety improvements would generally not be implemented in a timely fashion due to the community engagement process.
Anticipated Future Actions
Pending Board approval of the Vision Zero Plan, there will be multiple future Board actions relating to recommendations included in the VZP. Examples include an agreement with Federal Highways for the SS4A Planning and Demonstration Grant, a future agreement with a vendor for red-light camera enforcement, future design and construction contracts for implementing improvements on the High Injury Network, future construction contracts for lighting improvements, revisions to Transportation Commission policies to incorporate the traffic calming by policy recommendations and integrating the Vision Zero Plan with the traffic calming petition process, potential agreements with IDOT and adjacent communities for implementing safety improvements on border streets, etc.
Annual reports tracking progress towards Vision Zero will be shared with the Transportation Commission and Village Board.
Prepared By: Bill McKenna, Village Engineer/Assistant Public Works Director
Reviewed By: Rob Sproule, Public Works Director
Approved By: Kevin J. Jackson, Village Manager
Attachment(s):
1. Draft Oak Park Vision Zero Action Plan
2. Presentation Slides