Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman signed an executive order to adopt the Anne Arundel County Vision Zero Plan.
By doing so, Anne Arundel County joins the state of Maryland, and other jurisdictions in Maryland (including Prince Georges, Montgomery, Harford, Cecil, Baltimore and Baltimore City), in the commitment to reach zero deaths and serious injuries on our roadways through the Vision Zero strategy.
The move positions the county to receive federal and state grant funding to support the implementation of the plan and fund safety related projects.
From 2016-2020, there were 234 deaths and 1,311 serious injuries in Anne Arundel County. Among the 24 jurisdictions in Maryland, Anne Arundel ranked third for fatalities and fifth for serious injuries from motor vehicle related crashes. The county’s General Development Plan, Plan 2040, and the county’s Transportation Master Plan, MoveAnneArundel!, called for the adoption of such a plan.
“Vision Zero is a data driven approach to eliminating death and serious injuries on our roadways,” Sam Snead, Director of the Office of Transportation said. “This plan allows all of the agencies to come together regularly to develop strategies and share information to work toward a common goal. The collaborative effort reduces duplication and working in silos, resulting in a cohesive, more effective outcome.”This plan brings together individuals from multiple government agencies to work in concert to develop, implement, and track the performance of the strategies.
During the past 18 months the Vision Zero steering committee, through data analysis, worked to identify the types of crashes that occur, and then categorize them under what are known in the industry as the four “Es:” Engineering, Enforcement, Engagement/Education, and Emergency Services as well as two overarching “Es,” Equity and Evaluation.
Committee members include representatives from the Anne Arundel County:
● Office of Transportation
● Department of Public Works
● Office of Planning and Zoning
● Police Department
● Fire Department/Emergency Management Services
● Department of Health
External partners on the committee include representatives from:
● Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration
● City of Annapolis
● Motor Vehicle Administration’s Highways Safety Office
● Maryland Transportation Authority
● Baltimore Metropolitan Council
The plan is available at www.aacounty.org/visionzero.