Roadway Safety Action Plan

The City of Keene is developing a comprehensive Roadway Safety Action Plan (RSAP) to reduce fatalities and serious injuries from roadway crashes. This effort is being funded in part by a United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) planning grant. 

The RSAP will incorporate the Safe System approach, which builds and reinforces multiple layers of protection to prevent crashes from happening in the first place and minimize the harm from crashes when they occur. This is a shift from a conventional safety approach because it focuses on both human mistakes AND human vulnerability and designs a system with many redundancies in place to protect everyone. The approach includes the six following principles:

• Death and Serious Injuries are Unacceptable
• Humans Make Mistakes
• Humans Are Vulnerable
• Responsibility in Shared
• Safety is Proactive
• Redundancy is Crucial

Keene's RSAP will contain a series of strategies and actions—including driver, pedestrian, and bicycle infrastructure (see the gallery below for examples) - that align with the five elements that are the foundation of the Safe System approach:

• Safer People
• Safer Roads
• Safer Vehicles
• Safer Speeds
• Post-Crash Care

Keene's RSAP will also align with State priorities as outlined in the NH Department of Transportation (NHDOT) 2022-2026 New Hampshire Strategic Highway Safety Plan which identifies a series of strategies and actions to prioritize safety investments that address specific crash factors. This five-year State plan also informs both infrastructure and non-infrastructure projects funded annually through Federal programs.

The RSAP will also include equity considerations to ensure an inclusive and representative process in the development of the plan. The focus on equity also means consideration of socioeconomic factors when prioritizing actions.

Keene Roadway Statistics

Based on the last five full years of available crash data from the New Hampshire Department of Transportation, over 3,800 crashes occurred on roadways within Keene city limits. Of these crashes, three involved a fatality and another 34 resulted in a serious injury. Keene's crash trends similarly match those of the State, with a reduction in 2020 when fewer trips were made during the COVID pandemic and then a rebound after 2021 as travel patterns resumed.

The Toward Zero Deaths national strategy has set a benchmark for the year 2050 for the United States to reach zero roadway deaths. In Keene, not only are zero deaths achievable (there are years when there are no deaths on the City's roadways), but the City is also trying to drive down serious injuries to zero. 

Examples of roadway safety investments include those that involve constructing a treatment to address a crash risk or to enhance the comfort of all road users, including those who walk, bike, roll, or use mobility assisted devices. Investments may also include non-infrastructure initiatives, such as education campaigns and outreach activities to promote road safety.

Roadway Safety Plan Committee

A key component of the RSAP's development is the contributions of the City-appointed Roadway Safety Plan Committee. The Committee's charge is as follows:

Oversee the Development of a comprehensive Safety ActionPlan for the City of Keene. Provide guidance and general direction to City of Keene staff and engineering consultants as they collect and analyze roadway safety data and generate draft work product. Ensure that the plan development process provides for the equitable representation of all roadway users and stakeholders, and that the final document addresses the diverse needs of those groups. Assist in the development of specific roadway safety improvement priorities and recommendations. Ultimately the Committee will make a recommendation to the City Council with respect to adoption of the draft plan and a roadway safety performance goal.

View the Roadway safety plan committee agendas, meeting minutes, and other documents.

Project Schedule

Keene's RSAP effort began in December 2023 and is expected to be completed in the fall of 2024.  The consultant team and core City staff meet on a bi-weekly basis.  Many other committee, stakeholder, and community meetings are planned and completed, as described below: 

• Monthly meetings with the Roadway Safety Plan Committee (open to the public)
  • 4th Monday of the month from January 2024 thru September 2024 at 4:00 PM at City Hall*
    • *June and July RSPC Meetings are canceled due to schedule conflicts with committee membership 
• Monthly meetings with a Technical Advisory Committee made up of City staff
• February 2024 through May 2024: Stakeholder listening sessions with various City agencies, organizations, and non-profit groups
• April 2024: Two community meetings (one downtown and one in West Keene) 
• June 2024 through October 2024: Meetings with the Municipal Service, Facilities, and Infrastructure (MSFI) Committee (open to the public)
• November 2024: Final presentation to City Council

As the dates and times for the MSFI Committee, community meetings, and final presentation to City Council are determined, they will be publicized on the City website and through social media.

Presentations to MSFI Committee

• MSFI Presentation - 6/26/24

Roadway Safety Infrastructure Examples

Click the photo, then click the arrows left and right to view additional photo examples.

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