SALEM, OR – Marion County is developing a Transportation Safety Action Plan (TSAP) to guide County investment in transportation safety. Marion County residents and regular road users are encouraged to submit safety comments and concerns to help shape future planning efforts.
From 2017 to 2021 there was an average of 415 crashes per year, resulting in 1,280 injuries, 130 serious injuries, and 50 fatalities on Marion County roadways in the past five years. On average, five of these crashes each year involved a bicyclist or pedestrian, resulting in one serious injury and four fatalities total.
Marion County’s TSAP aims to guide resources and investments in safety projects, develop long-term goals and solutions to reduce the risk of fatal and serious injury crashes, and identify priority projects to support safety goals.
“Safety is of the utmost importance to Marion County Engineering and is at the core of the decisions we make,” said Lani Radtke, County Engineer. “As engineers, we often start with data to help identify issues that impact safety on our roadways; it is equally important to us to engage with motorists to understand what users experience on our roads.”
As planning is underway, Marion County encourages residents and regular road users to submit comments or concerns related to transportation safety. County transportation engineers will use these comments to create a comprehensive plan, prioritize projects, and guide future grant submissions.
“Traffic safety is a societal effort, and part of increasing safety is asking our neighbors to be involved in prioritizing safety while on our roads,” said Carl Lund, Traffic Engineer for Marion County. “We need your input to help us understand how we can increase the safety of the roads, increase the safety of driving culture, and help you and your neighbors to take part in this work.”
People can submit comments and concerns on an interactive map linked to the Marion County Transportation Safety Action Plan website.
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