Committee presses NVTA on safety after recent bicyclist fatality

Committee members raised a recent safety incident and asked staff how the TransAction update would advance a "zero" fatality goal. A member described a Sept. 13 crash in which a 13‑year‑old bicyclist was killed and asked, "what are you doing to drive fatality rate to zero and so we've got a zero uh plan of program but we're not at zero yet." Committee members said local infrastructure changes — narrow crossings, planters, speed signs and education campaigns — have reduced incidents in some corridors.

NVTA staff acknowledged safety as a major and recurring public concern and described proposed changes to safety scoring. Dr. Niri said safety will receive a wider set of treatment levels (low/medium/high expanded to a broader range) so projects such as protective barriers, separated bike lanes and intersection design treatments can be differentiated in scoring. He told the committee safety had surfaced repeatedly in engagements: "It's it's one of the one of the bigger concerns we heard." The committee discussed how to weigh safety against statutory priority for congestion reduction and emphasized jurisdictions should still submit safety projects for consideration.