“People make mistakes” is one of the central tenets of the Safe Streets and Roads for All program, which provides federal funding to communities to research local crash statistics and ways to reduce them.

The idea is that human nature makes crashes inevitable on busy roadways, but traffic engineering can significantly reduce the portion that causes serious injuries and fatalities.

Colorado Springs has just released its draft Safety Action Plan funded through Safe Streets. The plan’s goal is ambitious: a 35% reduction in serious crashes by 2035, with 2023 crash data as a baseline.

“I believe it is an attainable goal,” said Todd Frisbie, a traffic engineer for the city.

He said part of his optimism comes from past results: tweaks to the city’s roadways have contributed to about 5% to 7% reductions in crashes each year so far. With the completion of the plan, which identifies dangerous road features and prescribes remedies, he said the city has a map forward.

“It gives us just some foresight,” he said.

The project includes an interactive map of crash data dating to 2017, excluding Interstate 25. Unsurprisingly, some of the worst areas are also the city’s busiest roads.

The plan identifies a “high risk network” that includes arteries like Austin Bluffs Parkway and South Academy, Union and North Powers boulevards. The network accounts for 53% of severe crashes in the city but 5% of the roadway, according to the report.

Bad crashes follow general patterns, the report notes. About two-thirds occur at intersections, where broadside and approach-turn crashes are more likely. If a crash involves a vulnerable road user — pedestrians, motorcyclists and bicyclists — the severity risk goes up significantly.

The plan prescribes fixes on a wide spectrum of costs, from updating signage to rebuilding entire road features.

Frisbie said some of the plan’s recommendations are built on crash data, while some are “systemic” based on engineering best practices. He said features that protect pedestrians in school zones and trail crossings are already known to be a good idea.

“Those are measures that are effective in reducing crashes,” he said.

Colorado Springs has many roads, and funds are limited, so not all the safety recommendations from the plan will become reality in the near future.

For example, the creation of a single-lane section of North Nevada Avenue, long advocated for by a group in the Old North End neighborhood, is in the plan but might not be a short-term possibility, according to Frisbie.

“There are a lot of factors to make implementation a challenge,” he said.

With the gathering of empirical crash data, the Safety Action Plan helps the city prioritize its existing funds and potential grant awards for the greatest impact.

“There are squeaky wheels out there, but we wanted to negate that,” said Frisbie.

The draft plan is now active online at https://coloradosprings.gov/SafetyActionPlan, where people can respond to a survey on the plan and view an interactive crash map.