About KACTS Safety Action Plan
Where Is the KACTS Region?
The KACTS region covers the communities in Berwick, South Berwick, Eliot, Kittery, York, Ogunquit, Wells, Kennebunk, and Kennebunkport. Representatives from each of these municipalities sit on the project’s steering committee.
What Is the KACTS Safety Action Plan?
The purpose of the Safety Action Plan is to improve roadway safety by significantly reducing or eliminating roadway fatalities and serious injuries through the development and implementation of plans that focus on the needs of all users: pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists, public transportation users, micro-mobility users, and commercial vehicle operators. Beyond a prioritized suite of investments and a target timeline for reducing deaths and serious injuries along roadways in southern Maine, the project will also identify strategies to improve transportation in KACTS communities.
The Safety Plan will develop the tools to help strengthen the region’s approach to roadway safety and save lives. It will also include a list of short-, mid-, and long-term projects that will be eligible for implementation and supplemental planning funds through the Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) and other federal grant programs. The project team will work to hear the needs of residents, business owners, and daily commuters to understand their experiences and develop a plan that responds to their concerns.
Project Timeline
Major Aspects of the Project
Develop a data-driven understanding of existing conditions including:
- Mapping crash clusters
- Reviewing the network to find deficiencies for vulnerable users (those walking, biking, or rolling outside of a motor vehicle)
- Evaluating the existing street network using a variety of factors including, but not limited to speeds, number of lanes, traffic controls, and volumes
Meaningful public engagement that attempts to reach and welcome a diverse range of stakeholders, with an emphasis on equity and outreach in communities traditionally underserved, including:
- A Project Steering Committee comprised of the municipal leadership from KACTS communities
- Meetings to encourage public comment and feedback
- An online survey to identify high crash locations, areas of concern, unmet needs for those walking and biking, poor transit conditions, and other issues
From technical analysis and interactions with the public, we will develop:
- A Vision Zero policy
- An approach and safety strategies to reach Vision Zero
Recommend projects to achieve the goals of the policy, which will be eligible for investment through SS4A and other federal or state roadway safety programs.
Click here to view and download the KACTS Regional Safety Action Plan Fact Sheet.