Road Safety

The Noblesville Safety Action Plan is a comprehensive safety plan aimed at eliminating fatal and serious injury crashes. The Plan will combine an analysis of crash patterns with actionable strategies to make Noblesville streets safer, not just for motorists, but for all users including those who bike, walk, roll, or use public transportation. The Noblesville Safety Action Plan will meet all the requirements of the Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) program and allow the City of apply for SS4A implementation grant funding for safety improvements.

Introduction

Traffic crashes are a leading cause of preventable death in the United States. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 2021 saw nearly 43,000 traffic deaths across the nation, a 16-year high. Almost 43,000 people were again killed in traffic crashes in 2022. Since 2020, notable increases include:

• Fatalities on urban roads up 16%
• Pedestrian fatalities up 13%
• Bicycle fatalities up 5%
• Speeding related fatalities up 5%

Throughout the Indianapolis Metropolitan Area, around 170 people are killed each year in traffic crashes, and another 4,500 are seriously injured. The Noblesville Safety Action Plan is a strategic step toward engaging and coordinating with the public, planners, engineers, law enforcement, and first responders to improve traffic safety for all users. It will take a concerted and organized effort from various stakeholders and agencies to ensure this plan is implemented and zero traffic deaths and serious injuries becomes a reality.

This safety action plan combines a thorough analysis of crash patterns with actionable strategies to make Noblesville streets safer, not just for motorists, but for all users including those who bike, walk, roll, or use public transportation.

Safe Streets & Roads For All (SS4A)

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Proven Safety Countermeasures

This plan and recommendations rely on a comprehensive understanding of crashes observed throughout the City as well as national best practices to inform effective strategies to improve safety. The safety toolkit is a reference of context-sensitive proven safety countermeasures that address predominant crash characteristics, roadway or intersection configurations, and other relevant trends observed throughout the planning process. The safety toolkit provides key information for each proven safety countermeasure including expected safety benefits, applicable locations, and
important design considerations.

Crash conditions and contextual circumstances drive the suitability of each safety countermeasure for a specific situation or location. The safety toolkit offers decision makers the ability to select from multiple appropriate countermeasures and identify those that best align with available resources and public preferences in order to address a specific safety problem.

The safety toolkit includes safety countermeasures referenced in the High Injury Network location recommendations along with others based on national best practices and the City’s desire to improve the pedestrian experience and protect vulnerable road users.