Savannah City Council makes new investment, renews charge for Vision Zero after critical workshop

Sitting outside the bustling hub of Habersham Village, it’s easy to see the hazards.

A typical weekday presents a steady stream of vehicles humming north and south on Habersham Street. All the while pedestrians peer out from the edges of the diagonal parking spots to find an opening to cross the street. While crosswalks bookend the parking lot and row of shops, walkers frequently forgo them in favor a more convenient crossing from the middle of the lot.

District 4 Alderman Nick Palumbo sees the area as one where the City of Savannah can forge a new philosophy on traffic calming by prioritizing pedestrian-friendly street design. Such design could include more robust crosswalks and curb bump outs. That philosophy was taken by Savannah City Council in a charge to eliminate traffic-related deaths through its Vision Zero initiative passed in February 2022.

But a June workshop on the city’s traffic calming efforts exposed frustration from council with city staff on the initiative’s progress. District 6 Alderman Kurtis Purtee gave an impassioned speech on the lack of investment in his district, which has received zero traffic calming devices since at least 2020. District 1 Alderwoman Bernetta Lanier noted the increase in port-related traffic in westside neighborhoods, and Palumbo pointed out a staff presentation made no references to addressing traffic-related deaths, the north star of Vision Zero.

“We got off to a bang, and then a very slow start,” Palumbo said in an interview.

Investment coming, projects planned

That workshop contributed to recent investment in the initiative through added revenue from Savannah maintaining its millage rate. Vision Zero is now slated for $2 million devoted to thermoplastic pavement markings, crosswalk enhancement and pedestrian lighting across the city.

Mayor Van Johnson first floated millage revenues as an option to boost the initiative at the June workshop, calling it a potential for “short-term gains” in advance of council’s budget season late this year. Council voted unanimously to maintain the millage rate and dedicate those funds last week.

“For us, this is government in real time,” Johnson said at a recent press conference. “We hear, and we invest.”

When it comes to the perceived “slow start,” one of the challenges has been finding capital for projects, Palumbo said. City Manager Jay Melder also said at the workshop that “capacity and resources” were one challenge to boosting traffic calming measures such as speed tables .

One example of a challenge to addressing capital needs was the city missing out last year on a federal Safe Streets and Roads for All Grant that would have supported Vision Zero initiatives. Staff resubmitted an application for the grant in May with hopes it will fund one of its major projects. Award notifications are expected by the end of the year, according to a staff presentation.

“We’re hopeful and optimistic that we will get that award this year,” said Harold Taylor, Vision Zero’s transportation coordinator, in a presentation to council.

The project submitted for the grant involved improvements on 37 ^th Street from Ogeechee Road to Bee Road. The project’s preliminary plans include traffic signal upgrades, potential lane removals and “pedestrian facilities” upgrades. Pedestrian facilities is an umbrella term that could include an array of measures such as sidewalks, marked crosswalks and lighting improvements, according to a Federal Highway Administration report .

Another top project would center Montgomery Street on the corridor spanning from DeRenne Avenue on the south to West Taylor Street on the north. Key improvements would include protected bicycle lanes from DeRenne Avenue to Victory Drive and standard bicycle lanes from Victory Drive to West Taylor Street. The Georgia Department of Transportation has conducted safety screening for the project and is considering it for its next funding cycle, according to the staff presentation.

“These are just some of the (projects) that are in high-injury networks,” Taylor said. “These are the ones we want to highlight.”

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More: Pedestrian-related crashes are trending up in Savannah. Traffic calming help still a ways off.

Council’s charge, and “more urgency”

When City Council passed its Vision Zero resolution in February 2022, it called for the creation of a task force that was aimed at making policy recommendations and developing multi-year strategies for achieving the zero-death goal.

The task force’s approach is based on what it calls the “6 E’s,” in which equity is one. Equity was also adopted as a central tenet of this council administration. Given the lack of traffic calming delivered to District 6 since Purtee was elected to council, that value sits at the heart of his frustrations.

“What I saw at the last workshop didn’t meet most of equity at all,” Purtee said in an interview.

Equity in traffic calming investments is one thing Purtee wants to see before committing more of his budget resources to the issue, he said. At least one major traffic calming project, a roundabout at Windsor Road and Largo Drive, is planned for the district.

Melder acknowledged an opportunity act more equitably with how the city assesses its roads. He noted that not each district has the same amount of roadway, and the city should make assessments based on a percentage of each district’s miles assessed versus total miles.

“That’s not going to get the full picture of equity in the assessment,” Melder said.

One alderman ready to devote budget resources is Palumbo, who also gave improvement recommendations to staff at the workshop. Palumbo said every presentation to council moving forward should include updates on traffic-related deaths. Palumbo also requested the Vision Zero Task Force be updated to include a representative from council.

District 2 Alderman Detric Leggett requested that council receive more frequent updates on the initiative, asking that they be provided monthly reports on traffic calming. District 3 Alderwoman Linda Wilder Bryan requested more communication with council and residents before traffic calming measures are implemented.

Melder said he would return to council with process improvement recommendations to address those concerns, and that he would plan another council workshop on traffic calming initiatives as the city continues to “upscale” this initiative.

“We’re proud of some efforts we’ve made, and we’ve made some improvements,” Melder said. “But we have to do a lot more, and we have to do a lot more with more urgency.”

Evan Lassetter is the city and county reporter for the Savannah Morning News. You can reach him at ELasseter@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Savannah City Council makes new investment, renews charge for Vision Zero after critical workshop