GDOT Annual Report 2017

D I R E C T O R ’ S C O R N E R

Continuing a Safe and Mobile, Multimodal and Sustainable Transportation System

Adam Fischer Director City of Greensboro Department of Transportation

Over the next 12 months GDOT will work to develop a “Vision Zero,” joining the statewide effort to drastically reduce traffic fatalities over the next 15 years. Vision Zero is based on the belief that any loss of life is not an acceptable price to pay for mobility. North Carolina is the ninth most populous state in the country, and yet ranks fifth highest in traffic fatalities. NC Secretary of Transportation James Trogdon recently told the Greensboro Area Municipal Planning Organization that traffic safety and reducing traffic fatalities will be a top priority of the NC Department of Transportation (NCDOT). Vision Zero will involve a collaboration of efforts of many jurisdictions and will include safer design standards, public education and awareness campaigns, new and improved traffic laws to deter speeding and distracted driving as well as strict enforcement of these laws. The Future of Transit The Greensboro Transit Authority (GTA) has made many advances over the past 12 years, as we have seen ridership double to nearly 5 million passenger trips per year. In order to continue to provide transit services that meet the needs of our community, GTA is conducting a long-range transit plan, “Get On Board 2040.”Through robust input and collaboration of community stakeholders, Get On Board 2040 will identify gaps in our existing transit system and develop a series of recommended improvements that will meet the long-term needs and goals of our community.

Greensboro’s Department of Transportation (GDOT) has made great strides in fiscal year 2016- 2017 towards ensuring that a safe and mobile transportation system for all modes of travel can be sustained well into the future. Key Financial Support Last November Greensboro voters approved up to $60 million in Bonds to enhance and preserve our transportation system. These Bonds will be used to build sidewalks, repave streets and mark bike lanes, improve unsafe or congested intersections, develop downtown streetscapes, replace buses, and complete the downtown greenway. The residents of Greensboro have generously supported GDOT over the past 30 years by approved bond referenda that provided more than $340 million for transportation projects. These bond funds have been used to support critical transportation improvements and to leverage significant state and federal transportation funds. The state legislature has also established revenue sources to accelerate projects that are vital to economic development, including key projects in the Triad. All told, almost $1 billion will be invested over the next ten years to make our transportation system safer, more multimodal, more efficient and sustainable. Envisioning Zero Traffic Deaths How many traffic accidents in our community are an acceptable number? How many traffic accidents within our own families are acceptable? Is it fair to say zero?

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