The City of Colorado Springs has developed a Safety Action Plan (SAP) to identify strategies to improve safety for all roadway users, whether they bike, roll, walk, or drive. The project team has reviewed policies, crash data, and design standards as part of a comprehensive analysis. The SAP has recommendations and specific actions to reduce serious and fatal crashes throughout the Colorado Springs transportation network. The SAP is being funded via the Safe Streets for All (SS4A) federal program for discretionary grants with the stated purpose of reducing roadway-related deaths and serious injuries using the Safe System Approach. The City of Colorado Springs was awarded a $280,000 grant in 2024 to support the development of the citywide SAP.
About
Project Background
Stakeholders engaged in traffic safety across the City and region noticed a significant rise in aggressive driving, serious injury crashes and traffic fatalities over the past few years. To combat these trends, the City applied and acquired funds through the federal Safe Streets for All (SS4A) grant program, a federally-funded program with the stated purpose of reducing deaths and serious injuries using the Safe System Approach. The City of Colorado Springs has developed a citywide Safety Action Plan, which outlines five systemic improvements and specific projects to reduce serious and deadly crashes.
Project Goals
- Create a Safety Action Plan
- Determine systemic improvements and specific projects to improve traffic safety
- Partner to develop public education campaigns
- Launch a public crash data dashboard
Funding Sources
The City of Colorado Springs acquired discretionary funds through the Safe Streets for All (SS4A) competitive grant program. This program was established by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and allocates $5 billion in appropriated funds from 2022-2026. This federal program aims to create safe transportation networks by reducing deaths and serious injuries through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Safe System Approach.
Detailed Timeline
Detailed Timeline
March 2024: Grant Received
- City of Colorado Springs received Safe Streets for All (SS4A) grant for Safety Action Plan development between 2024-2026
January–March 2025: Crash Data Analysis
- Several crash analyses and previous studies were used to determine appropriate safety countermeasures and strategies.
March–July 2025: Public and Stakeholder Engagement
- The project team held several conversations with stakeholders and conducted targeted outreach to develop the Safety Action Plan’s priorities.
June–September 2025: Draft Plan Development
- The Safety Action Plan was drafted to include potential recommendations, actions, and strategies.
September–November 2025: Plan Refinement
- The project team revised and refined aspects of the Safety Action Plan during this timeframe.
December 2025: Final Draft Plan Completed
- The final Draft Safety Action Plan was completed for public review
March 2026: Plan Adoption
- Adoption of the Safety Action Plan is targeted for May 2026.
Public Engagement
The project will include feedback gathered through a stakeholder group, the ConnectCOS Transportation Master Plan, and many outreach engagement opportunities. The stakeholder group included public and private community partners who joined efforts to help tailor the plan and projects to target serious injury and fatal crashes.
Past Meetings
Stakeholder Meeting (April 2025)
This meeting brought together over 40 partnering citywide agencies and organizations to determine existing traffic safety successes, challenges to overcome, and how to build more partnerships.
Stakeholder Meeting (September 2025)
At this meeting the partnering agencies and organizations helped to identify the responsible and supporting parties for policies, programs and partnerships related to traffic safety.
Public Outreach Tabling Events
- June 7, 2025: Get Outdoors Day
- June 8, 2025: Southeast Colorado Springs Farmers Market
- June 18, 2025: Sand Creek Library
- June 22, 2025: Southeast Colorado Springs Farmers Market
- June 26, 2025: Community Meeting