City of Olathe takes action to cut down on fatal accidents

The city of Olathe hopes to reduce and eliminate traffic fatalities and severe injuries for all road users through a new safety action plan.

This is a part of a national grant program through the US Department of Transportation. The plan allows residents to provide public input on certain areas around town that should be prioritized.

“We want to understand where there's pain points, why crashes occur. We want to get a holistic view of our traffic operations and ensure that Olathe is a safe space for all passerbys," said Cody Kennedy spokesperson for the City of Olathe.

Those changes can include more bike lanes, safer roads for pedestrians, more signs around town or even adding a street or two. Kennedy said they hope this plan could help with several areas that have been busy with car crashes.

“Ultimately, we'd love to have zero traffic fatalities and zero traffic accidents.”

The city is asking residents and those that commute in or around the area to provide any feedback through an interactive map . In the map, you can pinpoint certain areas that pose a safety threat.

“The City of Olathe takes all feedback very seriously and resident feedback is incredibly vital," said Kennedy. "So we really want to hear it from our public, we really want to hear it from the people that know and understand Olathe."

The city will take public engagement for the next couple of months and after will begin to study what areas people are wanting to see those changes implemented.
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