Staff is requesting that the Planning Board (PB) receive a presentation of the Billings Community Transportation Safety Plan (CTSP) and conduct a public hearing to collect public testimony regarding the Safety Plan. The Planning Board at the December 13th meeting will take formal action on the study to forward a recommendation to the Policy Coordinating Committee (PCC).

The Billings Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) is presenting the CTSP with the intent to have the PB conduct a public hearing to collect public testimony regarding the Plan. The PB, at the December 13th meeting will take formal action on the study to forward a recommendation to the Policy Coordinating Committee (PCC).

The MPO hired Dowl through a competitive process to develop the CTSP.The MPO initiated the process to update the CTSP that was developed and adopted in 2016. The original plan was a collaborative effort between the Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) and the MPO. This updated also included coordination with MDT. The ongoing purpose of the CTSP is to reduce fatal and serious injury crashes in the Billings area. Both the original CTSP and this update followed the same methodology as Montana's Comprehensive Highway Safety Plan (CHSP). This process, like the CHSP, used a coordinated, comprehensive, data-driven process with emphasis on collaboration between safety programs and partners representing the 4Es of transportation safety: education, enforcement, emergency medical services, and engineering. This approach was used to identify safety issues and determine areas in need of increased emphasis and strategies to reduce roadway fatalities and serious injuries.Development of this plan was led by an Advisory Committee (AC) consisting of the Billings MPO, City of Billings, Yellowstone County, local safety partners, and MDT staff members as technical support. The advisory committee elected to adopt Vision Zero, Montana's initiative to eliminate fatalities and serious injuries on the state's public roadways. The vision and goal statement for the Billings CTSP were defined as follows. 
The group evaluated ten years of crash data and considered public survey results and the input of local safety partners to identify the following four emphasis areas with the greatest potential for reducing fatalities and seriousinjuries.After reviewing public comment collected through an online survey tool and conducting a half-day safety summit with community members and safety partners, the Advisory Committee defined a set of emphasis areas to be addressed through action planning and the development of safety strategies. These areas include:

• Unrestrained Occupants
• Impaired Driving
• Inattentive Driving and Speeding

In addition, the Advisory Committee is recommending a focus on young drivers within each of the emphasis areas.

A list of all emphasis areas, strategies and action steps are located on page 39 of the plan.

The project team developed a robust public involvement process to collect public and stakeholder input that included a website that featured an interactive map, a half-day summit, and a public meeting. These activities were supplemented with paid and earned media, email, and social media promotion. The CTSP website, www.billingsctsp.com provided stakeholders and the public an opportunity to learn about and participate in the project.

The Safety Summit included over 60 safety-oriented stakeholders who gathered to support and contribute to the CTSP update. The event included:

• Collection of stakeholder input;
• Discussion of comprehensive crash data analysis;
• Consideration of existing community safety programs;
• Identification of safety management strategies to meet the unique needs of the Billings community.

A full listing public involvement work on this project is located in Appendix B of the plan.

N/A

There is no fiscal effect to adopting this plan. Implementing the plan will not require direct City or County funds because the implementation strategies include education and enforcement programs that already exist or are readily available at no cost. However, if the City determines that a paid education campaign is desirable, funding will have to be secured through a variety of sources including materials provides through MDT safety, grants, or local contributions that could include city funds.

The Billings Community Transportation Safety Plan outlines an action plan and strategies to reduce roadway fatalities and serious injuries in the Billings MPO area. The Plan through review of crash data, input from an Advisory Committee, local safety partners and the public developed a vision, goal, strategies and action plan to combat area crashes and the impact of those crashes on families and the community.