RSST strategic plan unveiled

The collaborative Roadway Safety Solutions Team (RSST), part of our Vision Zero initiative, recently adopted its two-year strategic plan.The work of the collaborative will focus on the following areas--with the first two being the primary focal areas:

1. Intersections of concern & inter-agency connectivity

In the last year, the RSST's Infrastructure Committee reviewed existing bike maps, technical guidelines, and crash data. They identified sites at which to conduct an inter-agency design review. In the next two years, they plan to continue site visits and skill sharing between jurisdictions, with part of the goal being to eventually achieve greater uniformity within Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties, with infrastructure that moves beyond minimum standards.

2. Share the Road messaging

Within the past year, the RSST reviewed campaigns around the nation for best practices, hosted a brainstorming session in partnership with IDEO to generate "out of the box" ideas for improving bicycle safety in our region, held follow up meetings after the brainstorming session and strategized about how to move into an experimental phase for engaging our community of motorists and people on bikes. Our goal in the next two years is to roll out a quality messaging campaign that will positively affect roadway behavior.

3. Safe Routes to Schools

The RSST would like to see standardized bike/ped safety curriculum and active-transportation encouragement in all schools. The group will work with local and state leaders as opportunities arise to make this a reality. The RSST will not be getting involved directly in administration or delivery of Safe Routes programs, but may have occasional opportunity to support our partners' work.

4. Establishment of diversion programs

In the last year, the RSST convened a law-enforcement specific group to generate ideas about how to move forward with a diversion program. We will initially roll out a diversion program in jurisdictions that are willing to participate in a pilot, adding new jurisdictions as the program gains traction. We will work to provide classes through SVBC or another non-law enforcement body to ease the load on law enforcement.

5. Law enforcement coordination

The Law Enforcement Group within the RSST will work together to find common funding that supports bicyclist safety and enforcement, and increase coordination with local agencies to pool resources to address specific traffic issues. They will attempt to move the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) into allowing multi-agency Selective Traffic Enforcement Program (STEP) grants so that the above enforcement efforts can be better funded and better coordinated.

6. DMV-focused efforts

RSST members have been really impressed at the increased presence that bicycles have on the DMV website--which our DMV colleagues say is in part due to our input over the past year. The DMV booklet has multiple pages that share info about bike safety. The RSST will continue to meet biyearly to advise DMV on content and work on integration of content with driver's test.

7. Anti-harassment ordinances

The RSST has been conducting research into anti-harassment ordinances in other areas. These ordinances allow bicyclists to take offenders to civil court, bypassing the criminal court route, where the need for overwhelming evidence makes claims challenging. The RSST will approach local city and county policymakers with draft ordinance language and attempt to install anti-harassment ordinances in each community in Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties.