COLUMBIA— The Columbia City Council will be reviewing the city's street and intersection pedestrian safety study, and potentially sign a contract to help revise the city's action plan and also on Vision Zero.

Columbia was the first city in Missouri to adopt Vision Zero in 2016, and has been working toward safer streets since. The first Action Plan was developed in 2017, with updates in 2018 and 2019.

Now, the city wants to create a new five-year plan that includes more input from the community and a better understanding of where safety issues are most severe.

The city has received updates on Vision Zero each year since 2019. The Action Plan and implementation program are expected to outline short-term implementation action items, longer-term projects that may be added to the City’s Capital Improvement Program, technical input (such as best practices).

To do this, city staff are asking the city manager to sign a contract with HDR Engineering, Inc., a professional engineering firm. HDR will provide technical services to help revise the Action Plan and update the city’s High-Injury Network (HIN) Map, which identifies the most dangerous areas on the city's roads.

In addition to the work above, HDR will collect data and perform analysis to identify problem areas in the city and update the HIN map. The updated HIN map will be a critical component of the updated plan and will serve as a focus of the City’s Vision Zero work moving forward.

The total cost of the contract is not to exceed $250,000. Due to a federal grant through the Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) program, which will cover 80% of the cost (or $200,000). The city will pay the remaining 20% (or $50,000) using funds from a local sales tax dedicated to transportation safety improvements.

The new plan will focus on making roads safer for all residents, including drivers, cyclists, pedestrians and people with disabilities. It will follow the Safe System Approach promoted by the U.S. Department of Transportation, which recognizes that human error is inevitable and roads should be designed to reduce the risk of serious harm when mistakes happen.

"I don't think that it's necessarily accurate for changes, to say that changes are coming," Council Member Valerie Carroll said. "But I very much think that more discussion needs to take place before any changes are made because we need to fully understand potential impacts of the legislation."

If approved, the project is expected to start in the spring of 2025 and continue through early winter 2025.