Project Overview

This project will develop a safety action plan that aims to eliminate all fatality crashes and dramatically reduce severe injury crashes for all users of Gering’s highway and street, sidewalk, and trail transportation network. The outcome of this plan will provide an overview of the following:

  • Historical crash data for the city of Gering

  • Development of applicable countermeasures

  • Equitable transportation access and use solutions

  • Focused pedestrian / bicycle improvements

  • Deployment of smart technologies to prioritize safe mobility

Project Advisory Team

  • Amy Seiler, Gering Parks and Recreation Department

  • Annie Folck, City Engineer

  • Casey Dahlgrin, Gering Street Department

  • Jennifer Sibal, Gering Public Schools Foundation

  • Janelle Visser, Panhandle Public Health District

  • Susan Weideman, Gering City Council

What is a Safe Streets for All (SS4A) - Safety Action Plan?

The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) established the Safe Street and Roads for All discretionary program in 2022 with $5 billion appropriated over the next five years (2022-2026). The City of Gering successfully obtained SS4A grant dollars in fall 2023 and officially kicked off the project in January 2024.

The SS4A program follows the Safe System Approach to achieve the goal of zero roadway deaths and reduce severe injury crashes in a community.

Principles of a Safe System Approach

A Safe System Approach incorporates the following principles:

  • Death and Serious Injuries are Unacceptable

  • Humans Make Mistakes

  • Humans Are Vulnerable

  • Responsibility is Shared

  • Safety is Proactive

  • Redundancy is Crucial

Objectives of a Safe System Approach

The Safe System Approach Principles outlined above also complement five critical objectives that will be achieved through the adoption of Gering’s SS4A Safety Action Plan:

  • Safer People - Encourage safe, responsible driving and behavior by people who use Gering’s roads and create conditions that prioritize their ability to reach their destination unharmed.

  • Safer Roads - Design roadway environments in Gering to mitigate human mistakes and account for injury tolerances, to encourage safer behaviors, and to facilitate safe travel by the most vulnerable users in the community.

  • Safer Vehicles - Expand Gering’s availability of vehicle systems and features that help to prevent crashes and minimize the impact of crashes on both occupants and non-occupants.

  • Safer Speeds - Promote safer speeds on all Gering streets through a combination of thoughtful, equitable, context-appropriate roadway design, appropriate speed-limit setting, targeted education, outreach campaigns, and enforcement.

  • Post-Crash Care - Enhance the survivability of crashes through expedient access to emergency medical care, while creating a safe working environment for vital first responders and preventing secondary crashes through robust traffic incident management practices.

What does an Equitable Transportation System Look Like?

A critical part of developing the Gering SS4A Safety Action Plan is identifying and addressing any gaps in service, access, or use of the community’s transportation system by disproportionately impacted populations.

Through the development of this plan, project team members will assess existing crash data for the city of Gering and overlay that information with where disproportionately impacted populations, such as non-English-speaking, low to moderate income, older adults and children, and/or physically or mentally disabled individuals, live in the community.

The final plan will address any identified gaps or threats to these populations and will recommend actions and policies the City can adopt to improve transportation accessibility, use, and safety for all residents of Gering.