HomeMy WebLinkAbout1.31.24 RPB Agenda PacketMEETING NOTICE
MPOJC Rural Policy Board
Wednesday January 31, 2024 – 6:00 PM
City of Iowa City – Council Chambers
410 E Washington St, Iowa City, IA
AGENDA
1.Call to Order the Rural Policy Board Meeting
a.Introduce Board members and recognize alternates
b.Consider approval of meeting minutes
2.Public discussion of any item not on the agenda*
3.Administration
a.Consider approval of the Rural Policy Board section of the FY25 MPOJC Budget and
Two-Year Financial Forecast
b.Consider approval of the FY25 Johnson County assessment schedule for the East
Central Iowa Council of Governments
4.Update on availability of East Central Iowa Council of Governments assistance
5.Discuss MPOJC Orientation opportunity for Board Members
6.Discuss potential MPOJC Work Program projects for FY2025
7.Update on Metro Area Traffic Collision Analysis
8.Update on Metro Area Bicycle and Pedestrian Collision Data
9.Verbal update on the CRANDIC Bus Rapid Transit Study from the MPOJC Director
10.Verbal update on a transit pilot project from the Johnson County Mobility Coordinator
11.Consider election of calendar year 2024 Rural Policy Board Officers
12.Other Business
13.Adjournment
*Public input is permitted on any agenda item. Please indicate to the Chair if you wish to comment on an agenda
item. To request any disability-related accommodations or language interpretation, please contact MPOJC staff at
319-356-5230 or Kent-Ralston@Iowa-City.org 48 hours prior to the meeting.
MINUTES DRAFT
MPOJC RURAL POLICY BOARD
JANUARY 25, 2023 – 6:00 P.M.
CITY OF IOWA CITY – EMMA HARVAT HALL
410 E. WASHINGTON ST, IOWA CITY, IA 52240
MEMBERS PRESENT: Hills: Tim Kemp
Johnson County: Rod Sullivan, Jon Green
Swisher: Christopher Taylor
OTHERS PRESENT: Karen Kurt (ECICOG)
STAFF PRESENT: Kent Ralston, Emily Bothell, Sarah Walz, Tunazzina Alam, Hannah
Neel
1.CALL TO ORDER
Kemp called the meeting to order at 6:00 PM.
a.Introduce Board members and recognize alternates
Ralston introduced board members.
b.Consider approval of meeting minutes
As there was not a quorum present, voting on the approval of the meeting minutes from
January 26, 2022 was postponed until the next meeting of the Policy Board.
2.PUBLIC DISCUSSION OF ANY ITEM NOT ON THE AGENDA
None
3.ADMINISTRATION
a.Consider approval of the Rural Policy Board section of the FY24 MPOJC Budget and
Two-Year Financial Forecast
Ralston explained that the primary role of the MPOJC is to fulfill federal and state
requirements necessary for MPOJC urban communities to be able to receive state and
federal funding, and to produce traffic and transportation studies for Johnson County
communities. MPOJC remains committed to providing traffic counts, traffic speed and
study information, traffic signal studies, traffic sign evaluations, sidewalk and trail
planning, general mapping services and other transportation evaluations for rural
entities. There is a 4% decrease in the budget from FY23, the majority being due to the
hiring of new personnel.
As there was not a quorum present, voting on the Rural Policy Board section of the
FY24 MPOJC Budget and Two-Year Financial Forecast was postponed until the next
meeting of the Policy Board.
b.Consider approval of the FY24 Johnson County assessment schedule for the East
Central Iowa Council of Governments
Ralston explained that every year, MPOJC collects dues from Johnson County entities
and forwards them to East Central Iowa Council of Governments (ECICOG). The
MPOJC Rural Policy Board Minutes
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Page 2
assessments are made based on a per capita basis for the counties served by ECICOG.
The ECICOG budget for FY24 represents a 2% increase for the counties they serve.
As there was not a quorum present, voting on the FY24 Johnson County assessment
schedule for the East Central Iowa Council of Governments was postponed until the next
meeting of the Policy Board.
4.Update on Availability of East Central Iowa Council of Governments assistance
Karen Kurt explained that the services ECICOG provides fill the gaps of the MPOJC, as they
provide planning and land use assistance to rural communities, help find state and federal
grants for various types of projects (housing, sewer, etc.), and have a large revolving loan
fund to aid businesses with gap financing to sustain themselves or grow.
5.Discuss MPOJC Orientation opportunity for Board Members
Ralston invited members to attend an hour-long orientation explaining the MPOJC functions
and Board responsibilities. Typically, newer Board members participate, but the offer is open
to anyone.
Green expressed interest in attending the orientation.
6.Discuss potential MPOJC Work Program projects for FY2024
Ralston offered up space for any potential work program projects that communities might
have and would want MPOJC assistance, such as traffic studies or grant writing. An email
would be sent following the meeting to formally solicit for projects. Projects would be put into
the MPOJC Work Program to follow Iowa DOT requirements and help coordinate work flow.
7.Presentation on the MPOJC ‘Future Forward’ 2050 Long Range Transportation Plan
Bothell presented highlights from the Future Forward 2050 Long Range Transportation Plan.
8.Verbal update on the CRANDIC Bus Rapid Transit study from the MPO Director
Ralston explained that the MPOJC is moving forward with a Request for Proposals for a Bus
Rapid Transit study. The plan is to have the study completed by a consultant by late
summer/early fall of 2023.
9.Consider election of calendar year 2023 Rural Policy Board Officers
Ralston stated that there was no memo for this item, but Kemp and Taylor had been chair
and vice-chair for several years and staff was looking for discussion on who should take on
those roles for CY2023.
Kemp and Taylor were interested in continuing their roles for another year. As there was not
a quorum present, voting on the elections of the calendar year 2023 Rural Policy Board
officers was postponed until the next meeting of the policy board.
10.Other Business
None.
MPOJC Rural Policy Board Minutes
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Page 3
11.Adjournment
Meeting adjourned by Kemp at 6:32 PM.
Date: January 24, 2024
To: Rural Policy Board
From: Kent Ralston, Executive Director
Re: Agenda Item #3(a): Consider approval of the Rural Policy Board section of the FY25
MPOJC Budget and Two-Year Financial Forecast
The FY25 MPOJC Budget and Financial Forecast is attached. The focus of MPOJC continues
to be fulfilling state and federal requirements necessary for MPOJC urban communities to be
able to receive formula and discretionary state and federal funds, and producing traffic and
transportation studies, large and small, for Johnson County communities.
For rural entities (areas outside of the metropolitan area), MPOJC’s focus is to provide traffic
count, traffic speed and study information, traffic signal studies, traffic sign evaluations, sidewalk
and trail planning, general mapping services, and other transportation evaluations. We are also
able to assist with grant application preparation for your communities, and review of
development proposals at your request.
An ongoing item we conduct on your behalf is annexation notifications to all fire departments in
the County, through the fire department mutual aid structure. MPOJC is notified of all proposed
and completed annexations, and we in turn provide the notification and maps to the Joint
Emergency Communications Center. This results in more accurate information when
emergency responders are responding to calls in recently annexed areas.
The proposed budget reflects an overall increase of approximately 2.75% from FY24. A majority
of the budget increase is due to increases in costs for staff salaries and benefits. I anticipate
using $280,000 of Iowa DOT ‘Planning Funds’ in FY25. This is an increase from $230,000 used
in previous years as a result of increases provided by the new transportation legislation. This
increase ensures an appropriate balance of funds per DOT guidelines and defrays local funding
necessary for MPO operations.
Please be prepared to consider approval of the Rural Policy Board section of the FY25 MPOJC
Budget and Financial Forecast.
I will be at your January 31st meeting to answer any questions you may have.
FY25 Budget and Financial Forecast
Adopted January 31, 2024 by the:
MPOJC Urbanized Area Policy Board
MPOJC Rural Policy Board
Date: January 24, 2024
To: Urbanized Area Policy Board
Rural Policy Board
From: Kent Ralston, Executive Director
Re: FY25 MPOJC Budget and Financial Forecast
The Metropolitan Planning Organization of Johnson County (MPOJC) is the designated planning organization for Johnson County, Iowa.
Assistance is provided to member agencies in the program areas of transportation planning, administration, and small communities
planning assistance by virtue of a 28E agreement. The MPOJC Urbanized Area and Rural Policy Boards have authority over the policies
and work programs of the organization. The MPOJC website (www.mpojc.org) provides general information about the organization,
published technical reports, agendas, and meeting minutes of all public meetings.
MPOJC is organized administratively under the City of Iowa City and staff members are subject to all rights and benefits afforded to City
of Iowa City employees. Non-administrative staff are organized under the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees
(AFSCME). MPOJC staff also serve as staff in the City of Iowa City Neighborhood and Development Services Department. Because
MPOJC is organized as a division of the City of Iowa City, MPOJC follows City of Iowa City administrative and personnel polic ies. This
overall structure allows for cost-effective sharing of expenditures and services.
The focus of MPOJC remains to fulfill federal and state requirements necessary for receiving both formula and discretionary state and
federal funding and to produce a wide variety of transportation studies for member agencies. These studies are intended to result in better
information on which to base local policy and project programming decisions.
The proposed FY25 MPOJC Budget and Financial Forecast reflects the program of services, policies, and staffing approved by the Board.
The overall FY25 budget reflects a 2.75% increase from the FY24 budget and is primarily due to adjustments in salaries and benefits.
The remaining budget is largely the same as previous years with respect to technical and professional services, travel and education, and
software. As in previous years, the Iowa Department of Transportation (Iowa DOT) is scheduled to contribute a large portion of the overall
MPO budget in FY25 – the anticipated Iowa DOT contribution is $280,000 which is a $50,000 increase from FY24. MPOJC also carries
reserve funds to buffer against unexpected budget increases, or potential loss of funding. This continues to be important due to ongoing
uncertainty of federal funding.
MPOJC continues to employ 1-3 planning interns funded by the University of Iowa. The University of Iowa’s $23,817 assessment will be
used to fund intern expenses throughout the year. If this amount is not fully expended during the year, the balance becomes available for
other expenses.
As in the last budget, the FY25 budget is explicit in showing additional assessments specific to Iowa City due to staff time devoted solely
to Iowa City specific duties. These duties include traffic engineering services, administration of the traffic calming program, participation
in planning committees, review of rezoning and subdivision applications, and other special projects.
The budget also reflects capital expenses for the replacement of traffic counters, traffic counting software, and GIS software to maintain
our mapping and visualization abilities. The traffic counters are used for the traffic analysis data collection program and are subjected to
extreme conditions. It is important that there be a regular program of replacement for this equipment. For our traffic forecasting capabilities,
we are proposing to continue to upgrade our travel demand model software to be consistent with the Iowa DOT state-wide travel demand
model.
Following is a summary of the proposed Budget and Financial Forecast and FY25 assessments. Assessment figures now use the
available 2020 decennial Census population data as required by the MPO Bylaws.
MPOJC Budget FY25 – FY27
MPOJC is designated by the Governor of the State of Iowa as the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for the Iowa City Urbanized Area.
The MPOJC Transportation Planning Division must fulfill the state and federal requirements of the 3-C transportation planning process. This
process is required of all urbanized areas to maintain eligibility for grant programs and transportation operations funds of the United States
Department of Transportation and the Iowa Department of Transportation.
The Administration Division consists of a half-time Executive Director, and a .2 FTE Administrative Secretary. The Administration Division provides
oversight and support to the staff of MPOJC. The Executive Director supervises all MPOJC personnel, coordinates the budget process and the
preparation of division work programs.
As MPOJC staff also serve the City of Iowa City Neighborhood and Development Services Department, this budget reflects Iowa City specific
funding for 0.5 FTE Administration and 1.0 FTE Transportation Planner for Iowa City duties.
1Forecasts assume a 3% increase
2Student interns are funded entirely by the University of Iowa
FY24 FY25 FY26 FY27
Budgeted Proposed Forecast1 Forecast1
Salaries and Benefits $665,251 $690,100 $710,803 $732,127
Technical and Professional Services &
Maintenance, Travel and Education $70,416 $68,219 $70,266 $72,374
Operating Costs;including office
supplies,traffic counting and mapping
equipment/software
$10,195 $8,700 $8,961 $9,230
Subtotal $745,862 $767,019 $790,030 $813,730
University of Iowa Student Interns 2 $23,817 $23,817 $23,817 $23,817
TOTAL $769,679 $790,836 $813,847 $837,547
Expenditures
Summary of FY25 Assessments
Note: Figures do not include specific funding for Iowa City Neighborhood & Development Services, equivalent to 0.5 Administration Budget ($89,250) and 1.0 FTE Transportation Planning ($147,130).
MPOJC Assessment Explanation
1. Assessment for Rural entities is 1% of the overall MPO assessment. Rural Board communities utilize MPO planning services but are not eligible for MPO grant funds.
2. 0.5 FTE of Administration Division and 1.0 FTE of Transportation Planning Division are for Iowa City related functions and are not reflected in assessments to other communities.
3. This budget does not include East Central Iowa Council of Governments (ECICOG) assessments.
4. Assessment figures may not reflect exact population percentages shown due to rounding.
Date: January 24, 2024
To: Rural Policy Board
From: Kent Ralston; Executive Director
Re: Agenda Item #3(b): Consider approval of the FY25 Johnson County assessment
schedule for the East Central Iowa Council of Governments
East Central Iowa Council of Governments (ECICOG) is the Regional Planning Association for
east-central Iowa including Benton, Cedar, Iowa, Johnson, Jones, Linn, Tama and Washington
Counties. ECICOG provides planning and grant administrative services in the areas of
community and economic development, transportation, housing, and solid waste management.
MPOJC collects ECICOG dues for Johnson County entities and forwards the funds to ECICOG.
ECICOG assessments are calculated on a per-capita basis for the counties ECICOG serves,
and we in turn calculate a per-capita assessment for each governmental entity within Johnson
County. For FY25, ECICOG has proposed a 2% increase for the counties they serve.
ECICOG also made a modification to its funding structure for FY23 to include an additional
planning assistance assessment for all entities – except for Community Development Block
Grant (CDBG) entitlement cities. This change was made for all counites served by ECICOG and
remains in place for FY25. The effect of the change was that Johnson County now pays an
additional assessment for the rural county population and University Heights is assessed for its
population. These entities had historically not paid this additional assessment as they did not
often utilize ECICOG’s planning services. All other non-entitlement communities had paid this
assessment in the past.
A member of the ECICOG staff plans to attend our January 31st meeting to discuss their
services and answer any questions you may have. Please be prepared to consider approval of
the FY25 ECICOG assessment schedule. With approval, I will forward the assessment schedule
to your staff for their records.
East Central Iowa Council of Governments
FY25 Assessment Schedule
Adopted January 31, 2024 by the:
MPOJC Urbanized Area Policy Board
MPOJC Rural Policy Board
Date: January 24, 2024
To: MPOJC Urbanized Area Policy Board
MPOJC Rural Policy Board
From: Kent Ralston, Executive Director
Re: FY25 ECICOG Assessment Schedule
The East Central Iowa Council of Governments (ECICOG) is the Regional Planning Association for east-central Iowa, including Benton,
Cedar, Iowa, Johnson, Jones, Linn, Tama and Washington Counties. ECICOG conducts planning and grant administration services in the
areas of community and economic development, housing, transportation, and solid waste management. ECICOG is governed by a policy
board including elected officials and citizen representatives.
In 2010, the Metropolitan Planning Organization of Johnson County (MPOJC) Urbanized Area Policy Board directed that the schedule of
ECICOG assessments be considered separately from the annual MPOJC budget. ECICOG assesses counties on a per capita basis. In
Johnson County, governmental entities are in-turn assessed on a per-capita basis. ECICOG has proposed a 2% rate increase for all the
counties it serves for FY25. This assessment schedule reflects 2020 Census figures for each entity as required by the MPO Bylaws.
East Central Iowa Council of Governments FY25 – FY27 Assessments
FY24 FY25 FY261 FY271
Actual Proposed Forecast Forecast
$85,068 $86,769 $88,505 $90,275
Community Population %Assessment2 %Assessment2 %Assessment2
Iowa City 74,828 48.95%$32,152 ----37.06%$32,152
Johnson County (rural)21,884 14.32%$9,403 28.05%$5,915 17.65%$15,318
Coralville 22,318 14.60%$9,590 28.60%$6,032 18.00%$15,622
North Liberty 20,479 13.40%$8,800 26.25%$5,535 16.52%$14,335
Solon 3,018 1.97%$1,297 3.87%$816 2.43%$2,113
Tiffin 4,512 2.95%$1,939 5.78%$1,220 3.64%$3,158
Lone Tree 1,357 0.89%$583 1.74%$367 1.09%$950
University Heights 1,228 0.80%$528 1.57%$332 0.99%$860
Swisher 914 0.60%$393 1.17%$247 0.74%$640
Oxford 722 0.47%$310 0.93%$195 0.58%$505
Hills 863 0.56%$371 1.11%$233 0.70%$604
Shueyville 731 0.48%$314 0.94%$198 0.59%$512
152,854 100.0%$65,679 100.0%$21,090 100.0%$86,769
Small Communities Planning Assistance Total FY25 ECICOG AssessmentGeneral Assessment
Expenditures
Payment to ECICOG
Assessments
ECICOG is a multi-county regional planning agency which includes Johnson C ounty. It is Region 10 in the state’s system of regional planning agencies.
Planning assistance is available through ECICOG to the small communities in Johnson County. All municipalities in Johnson County pay a population-based
general assessment for the overall support of ECICOG. An additional planning assistance assessment is made to all communities – except Iowa City which
is a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) entitlement city.
1Assumes a 2% increase.
2 Assessment figures may not equal exact percentages shown due to rounding.
Date: January 24, 2024
To: Rural Policy Board
From: Kent Ralston, Executive Director
Re: Agenda Item #4: Availability of East Central Iowa Council of Governments Assistance
The East Central Iowa Council of Governments (ECICOG) is an intergovernmental council
established by the Iowa Code. Governed by a Board of Directors compromised of elected officials
and private citizens, ECICOG was created to promote regional cooperation and to provide planning
services to local governments in Benton, Cedar, Iowa, Johnson, Jones, Linn, Tama and Washington
Counties. A portion of ECICOG services are supported by a per capita assessment.
This memo describes some of the services provided by ECICOG. A member of the ECICOG staff will
be at our January 31st meeting to answer any questions you may have.
Transportation: ECICOG transit coordinates transit services in Benton, Iowa, Jones and Washington
Counties and the rural areas of Linn and Johnson Counties. ECICOG also administers federal
transportation funds. These funds are available to assist in funding qualifying road, bridge, trail and
transit projects or for transportation planning activities.
Housing and Community Development: ECICOG offers technical assistance to local governments
on land use planning, zoning and subdivision regulation, and local government financing. ECICOG
also assists cities in updating their code of ordinances as required by state regulations. ECICOG has
had success in securing and administering state and federal funds for local infrastructure
improvement and community facility projects. ECICOG is also available to assist with the application
for, and administration of Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds.
Solid Waste Management & Environmental Services: ECICOG is responsible for preparation of
the Regional Comprehensive Solid Waste Management Plan which includes Benton, Jones, Iowa and
Tama Counties, and facilitates cooperation among the landfill facilities in the region including the
Cedar Rapids/Linn County Solid Waste Agency and the City of Iowa City. More recently, ECICOG
has taken an active role in other environmental issues including assisting with the formation of, and
coordinating planning for, water management authorities. ECICOG recently assisted with the
formation of the Clear Creek Watershed Coalition and secured a $100,000 grant to fund the coalition’s
planning process.
Revolving Loan Fund: A Revolving Loan Fund (RLF) is a loan pool established by the East Central
Iowa Council of Governments to assist new and existing businesses within the ECICOG region to
develop and expand. Funds are used in conjunction with local lenders to serve as gap financing for
proposals, in which the lender serves as the primary source of funding. As loans are repaid into the
pool, the fund revolves back out to other candidates for the program.
Visit http://www.ecicog.org/ for more information on these and other services provided by ECICOG.
Date: January 24, 2024
To: Rural Policy Board
From: Kent Ralston; Executive Director
Re: Agenda Item #5: Discuss MPOJC Orientation opportunity for Board members
For new Board members, or current Board members who desire a refresher, I would like to
provide a short orientation explaining the designation and role of the MPO, services provided by
the MPO, and the structure of the MPO.
Please be prepared to indicate if you are interested and I will identify possible dates that will
work for a group orientation. I will be available at your January 31st meeting to answer any
questions you have.
Date: January 24, 2024
To: Rural Policy Board
From: Kent Ralston, Executive Director
Re: Agenda Item #6: Discuss potential MPOJC Work Program projects for FY25
Each year, we put together a work program to schedule our traffic counts, data collection, and
other work products. Typical types of work for rural communities include traffic speed and
volume counts, traffic control evaluations (Stop sign, Yield sign, and warning sign), review of
proposed development projects, mapping assistance, and grant application assistance.
Please be prepared to discuss any projects you have in mind for FY25 for which we can assist.
If you have a general project in mind, but don’t have the details available, staff is available to
discuss potential projects at a later date.
I will be at your January 31st meeting to discuss this item and answer any questions you may
have.
Date: January 24, 2024
To: Rural Policy Board
From: Emily Bothell; Senior Associate Transportation Planner
Re: Agenda Item #7: Update on Metro Area Traffic Collision Analysis
MPO staff has completed an update to the Metro Area Traffic Collision Analysis. The updated
analysis identifies any intersection or mid-block location that experienced three or more
collisions in the urbanized area between 2020 and 2022. The analysis then ranks these
locations based on a formula using number of collisions, crash rates, and severity of collisions.
The document helps determine which locations, by jurisdiction, could benefit from potential
countermeasures, such as infrastructure improvements, that could reduce the number and
severity of collisions. The analysis in its entirety will be available in a few weeks. Attached is a
portion of the analysis identifying the top ten highest-ranking intersection collision locations
(Figure 1) and the top five highest-ranking midblock collision locations (Figure 2) in the
urbanized area.
I will be available at your January 31st meeting to answer any questions.
.
Figure 1: Top Ten Intersection Collision Locations in the Urbanized Area
North Liberty
Coralville
Iowa City
Figure 2: Top Five Mid-Block Collision Locations in the Urbanized Area
Iowa City
Coralville
Date: January 24, 2024
To: Rural Policy Board
From: Sarah Walz; Associate Transportation Planner
Re: Agenda Item #8: Update on Metro Area Bicycle and Pedestrian Collision Data
One of the guiding principles in the MPO’s adopted 2050 Long-Range Transportation Plan is the
safety of all modes of transportation. The Plan identifies the number of pedestrian and bicycle
collisions and resulting injuries and fatalities in its safety performance measures.
The following shows the changes in reported bicycle and pedestrian collisions since 2012 and
the severity of those collisions. The data were obtained from the Iowa DOT’s Crash Analysis
Tool on 01/11/2024. These data do not include collisions that occur on private property. Also
excluded are any collisions on I-80/380 and U.S. Highway 218.
Figure 1. Annual Metro Area Pedestrian and Bicycle Collision Trends, 2012-2023
The number of reported collisions involving bicycles and pedestrians began trending downward
around 2016, with bicycle collisions reduced by more than 60% between 2015 and 2021. The
record lows for both bicycle and pedestrian collisions in 2020/21 may be related to the COVID-
19 pandemic, when vehicle miles travel declined. Both bicycle and pedestrian collisions then
increased in 2022 as COVID restrictions ended and travel normalized. In 2023, collisions
appear to be returning to the previous downward trend, with pedestrian collisions at their second
lowest and bike collisions at their third lowest in a decade.
2
Figure 2. Annual Reported Metro Pedestrian Collisions and Injury Severity, 2012-2023
The trendline of collisions recorded each year tells only part of the story. To get a complete
picture of safety of our roadways, we also consider the number and percentage of serious
injuries and fatalities that result from these collisions.
Figure 2 (above) shows the number of pedestrian collisions for each year with the percentage of
collisions that resulted in serious injury or fatality. While the total number of pedestrian collisions
dropped by more than a third from 2022 to 2023, the percentage of pedestrian collisions
resulting in serious injury or fatality increased by nearly a quarter.
Figure 3. Safety Performance Measures for Pedestrian Collisions, 5-year trends
Pedestrian Collisions Total number of collisions 146 106
Serious-injuries/fatalities Total number of serious injuries & fatalities 21 19
Severity rate Severe injuries & fatalities / collisions 14%18%
Performance Measure Definitions 2014-2018 2019-2023
As shown above in Figure 3, the five-year trends for pedestrian collisions and resulting severe
injuries and fatalities show that despite a decrease in the number of collisions and resulting
severe injuries, the likelihood that a collision will result in severe injury or fatality is increasing.
3
Figure 4. Annual Reported Metro Bicycle Collisions and Injury Severity, 2012-2023
Figure 4 presents bicycle collision numbers in comparison to severe injuries and fatalities.
Similar to the pattern with reported Metro Area pedestrian collisions, the number of bicycle
collisions has been trending downward since 2016, reaching its lowest numbers in 2020 and
2021. Again, changes in travel due to the COVID 19 pandemic likely contributed to this
significant drop in collisions. As travel normalized in 2022, bicycle collisions increased by more
than 50% though serious injury/fatality numbers remained low. In 2023, bicycle collisions
dropped by 18%, returning to a downward trend.
The trend of serious injuries and fatalities for bicycle collisions is more favorable than the
pedestrian trend. Though the rate of serious injuries and fatalities increased in 2020 and 2021,
the rate dropped significantly in 2022 and again in 2023. Last year, the Metro Area recorded no
serious injury or fatal bicycle crashes. This was the first year that no fatal or serious-injury
bicycle collisions were recorded in more than a decade.
Figure 5. Safety Performance Measures for Pedestrian Collisions, 5-year trends
Bicycle collisions Total collisions 200 122
Severe Injuries/fatalities Total number of serious injuries & fatalities 17 7
Severity rate Severe injuries & fatalities / total collisons 9%6%
Definitions 2014-2018 2019-2023 Performance Measure
As shown above in Figure 5, the five-year trends for bicycle collisions and resulting severe
injuries and fatalities show a decrease in all measures.
4
The safety of pedestrians and bicyclists, our most vulnerable road users, is a top priority for the
MPO. Complete streets policies and the investments each community has made in sidewalks,
trails, and intersection treatments play an essential role in reducing pedestrian and bicycle
collisions and making active modes of transportation and recreation accessible.
As the recently awarded Safe Streets and Roads for All grant allows us to move forward in
developing a Safety Action Plan, we will identify those locations and conditions where bicycles
and pedestrians may be most at risk and propose countermeasures to improve safety and
eliminate serious injuries and fatalities.