The Des Moines Area MPO is seeking to create a regional Comprehensive Safety Action Plan (CSAP) that will guide the region and local communities toward systemic improvements in roadway safety. The CSAP will need to meet the requirements of the Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A), and the process of developing the CSAP is equally important to shift the roadway safety culture in the Des Moines region. The CSAP will create community-based and data-driven recommendations that will strive to eliminate fatal and serious roadway crashes in addition to projects that prioritize equity and could leverage funding and implementation.

Upcoming Open Houses

In-Person Open House

An open house will be held from 4 to 6 p.m. Monday, February 10, at the Des Moines Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO), 420 Watson Powell Jr. Way, Suite 200, Des Moines.

The open house will include a presentation at 4:30 p.m. on the draft CSAP, which will guide local transportation planning leaders in making investments and changes with a goal of eliminating traffic-related fatal and serious injuries by 2045. Attendees will also be asked to provide feedback on potential safety countermeasures as the region looks to begin enacting the plan, including a regional grant application to the Safe Streets for All program.

An online option is available to observe the presentation and ask questions, although only in-person attendees will be able to participate in the meeting activities. The Zoom link is available here; the meeting ID is 851 7333 2173 and the passcode is 994670.

Virtual Open House

Following the open house, a recording of the presentation will be shared on this website. An online survey mimicking the open-house activities will be available for additional public input. The online survey will be open through Sunday, March 16.

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Click Here to View the Draft Comprehensive Safety Action Plan!

What is the Des Moines Area MPO?

The Metropolitan Planning Organization acts as the formal transportation planning body for the greater Des Moines metropolitan area. The planning region is over 500 square miles and includes 16 cities; the Des Moines Area Regional Transit Authority (DART); four associate, non-voting cities; unincorporated portions of three counties in central Iowa; and one associate, non-voting county. The map below shows the MPO member area.

Visit the Des Moines Area MPO website.

Source: Des Moines Area MPO

What is a Comprehensive Safety Action Plan?

A CSAP is a foundational document to guide local transportation planning leaders on where the most traffic-related deaths and serious injuries occur. The CSAP is part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s new Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) grant program. These plans are developed through detailed data analysis to identify and prioritize roadway safety issues.

Key items required in a CSAP:

• Leadership Commitment and Goal Setting
• Planning Structure
• Safety Analysis
• Engagement and Collaboration
• Equity Considerations
• Policy and Process Changes
• Strategy and Project Selections
• Progress and Transparency

What is Vision Zero?

Vision Zero is a strategy to eliminate all traffic fatalities and severe injuries, while increasing safe, healthy, equitable mobility for all.

Source: Vision Zero Network

What is Safe Streets and Roads for All?

The key principles of Safe Streets and Roads for All are:

• Death/serious injury is unacceptable.
• Humans make mistakes.
• Humans are vulnerable.
• Responsibility is shared.
• Safety is proactive.
• Redundancy is crucial.

Source: FHWA

Roadway safety is an issue that affects all.

There is a real problem in the MPO area:

• 1,881 Fatal and Serious Injury Crashes in 10 years
• 311 Fatalities (one funeral every 12 days)
• 151 people in the Des Moines metropolitan area were involved in fatal and serious injury crashes in 2020