Regional Transportation Safety Summit

Putting The Safe System Approach into Practice

The Safe System Approach

The Safe System Approach is grounded in a simple but powerful idea: people make mistakes, but those mistakes should not result in death or serious injury. By anticipating human error and designing forgiving roadway systems, we can save lives. Learn more from FHWA. https://www.transportation.gov/safe-system-approach.

Program 

• Anne Savage, New York Bicycling Coalition
• Local municipal panel
• SS4A Program Overview, Local Road Safety Plans and Community Driven Strategies
• Patrick Fox, AARP
• Christopher Wagner, David Riley, ROC Vision Zero
• Transportation Facility Owners' Panel
• David Orr, Cornell Local Roads Program

Download the Program Booklet in a PDF format. 

Opening Remarks by Jim Stack, GTC Executive Director

Duration: 13 min

Summary: The Regional Transportation Safety Summit officially opened with remarks from Jim Stack, Executive Director of the Genesee Transportation Council (GTC). He welcomed attendees to the Summit—held both in person and via virtual participation—and expressed appreciation for the partners, staff, and organizations that helped shape the event. Stack noted that while the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) program supported the Summit, the viewpoints shared during the day would be those of the speakers and not official federal policy positions.

Stack reflected on a significant milestone: the Summit coincided almost exactly with the one-year anniversary of GTC signing its SS4A grant agreement. Over the past year, he said, substantial progress had been made across the region, culminating in the ability to convene the day’s program.

He thanked the exhibitors participating in the Summit—organizations deeply engaged in safety initiatives including the Injury Free Coalition for Kids of Rochester, Monroe County Traffic Safety, Operation Lifesaver, Reconnect Rochester, the New York Bicycling Coalition (NYBC), TYLin, and GTC’s own outreach table. He also acknowledged the event’s sponsors—Fisher Associates, TYLin, Reconnect Rochester, and NYBC—for underwriting the catering services.

Stack then offered an overview of the day’s agenda. Participants would hear from experts and community partners who are putting the Safe System Approach into practice: lowering speed limits, redesigning streets, engaging communities, and working collaboratively to advance roadway safety. He highlighted event logistics, including food and beverage locations, workspace availability, and restroom locations. He emphasized that the Summit was hybrid, with both in-person and remote attendees, and noted that the event was being recorded. The virtual participation platform, PublicInput.com, allowed online attendees to submit comments, send emails, leave voice messages, or request to speak live.

Stack articulated the overarching purpose of the Summit: to bring together municipal leaders, transportation professionals, advocates, and community partners from across the region to strengthen roadway safety for all users—drivers, pedestrians, individuals with mobility devices, bicyclists, and transit riders. He summarized key themes from participant registration responses, including interest in:

•    safer street design and traffic calming,
•    behavior change and enforcement regarding speeding and bike lane misuse,
•    collaboration across state, regional, and local partners, and
•    creating safe travel options for all ages and abilities.

He then provided an overview of GTC’s SS4A grant work. The Council is assisting Rochester and all nine counties in the region with developing Local Road Safety Plans grounded in data and proven countermeasures. Following the completion of these plans, GTC will support evaluations of high-crash locations and corridor-scale safety assessments. Stack introduced a short video from USDOT illustrating the scale of roadway fatalities nationwide and underscoring the Safe System Approach’s emphasis on shared responsibility and reducing severe crashes.

After the video, Stack reiterated that the Safe System Approach is rooted in anticipating human error and creating conditions that prevent fatal and serious crashes. He highlighted regional safety initiatives brought forward in participant comments, including active transportation and Complete Streets projects, walking school buses, bus-arm camera enforcement, community traffic safety teams, statewide and regional safety plans, health partnerships, and multimodal planning efforts. 

Thank you Exhibitors

• Monroe County Office of Traffic Safety and STOP DWI
• Reconnect Rochester
• New York Operation Lifesaver
• Injury Free Coalition for Kids of Rochester
• Reconnect Rochester
• New York Bicycling Coalition
• TYLin

About This Event 

The Regional Transportation Safety Summit brings together community leaders, transportation professionals, and advocates to advance roadway safety in the Genesee-Finger Lakes Region. Hosted by the Genesee Transportation Council as part of the Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) Program, the Summit focuses on putting the Safe System Approach into practice through presentations, panels, and networking.

This event is supported by federal transportation funds awarded to GTC under an SS4A Grant. Reconnect Rochester is sponsoring the breakfast and presentation by featured speaker, Anne Savage. Reconnect Rochester staff is also providing in-kind services, allowing this event to be offered at no charge to attendees.

Background on Safe Streets for All (SS4A) Planning & Demonstration Grant Award

On December 13, 2023, GTC was notified that its application "for funding a safety planning program for the City of Rochester and all nine counties in the region" was successful. The grant award was for our full requested amount of $1,747,686. The federal funds will be matched by locally derived cash and in-kind services. The total value of the project is $2,184,608.

According to the press release announcing the award, "The SS4A program grants go directly to regional, local, and Tribal communities for implementation, planning, and demonstration projects driven at the local level to improve safety and help prevent deaths and serious injuries on the nation’s roadways. The funding helps communities address roadway safety through a comprehensive approach that uses all types of interventions, which aligns with DOT’s National Roadway Safety Strategy. These funds will help tackle the preventable crisis of deaths on the nation’s roads through safer people, roads, and vehicles, appropriate vehicle speeds, and improved post-crash care."

GTC's SS4A program consists of major activities and products, namely:
• Local Road Safety Plan for the City of Rochester and each County;
• Site Investigations at locations to be determined via network screening;
• Roadway Safety Audits at locations to be determined via network screening;
• Engagement, including two Community Summits and support for traffic safety groups;
• Support for Reconnect Rochester’s Complete Streets Makeover Program and a new Downtown Curb Extension Murals demonstration project.

Contact Information

For more information about GTC and the SS4A Program and the Safety Summit, contact Al Bartolotta, SS4A Program Manager at abartolotta@gtcmpo.org or (585) 252-1270.

Link to Genesee Transportation Council's Community Engagement Hub
GTC's online home for transportation outreach and listening efforts in Rochester, New York