Plan Commission unanimously recommends River Falls's Safe Streets for All safety action plan to council

The River Falls Plan Commission on Monday heard a briefing on a draft Safe Streets for All (SS4A) Safety Action Plan and voted unanimously to recommend that the City Council adopt the plan, a step staff said will make the city eligible for federal implementation funding.

The presenter, introduced in the meeting as Mitch Kaufman, said the draft plan covers all roadways in River Falls — city, state, county and township — and aims to "eliminate traffic fatalities and serious injuries in River Falls by 2040" using a safe-system approach that assumes people make mistakes but designs the system to prevent those mistakes from causing death or life-altering injury.

The draft was developed with community input, the presenter said, including two open houses, three public surveys, 85 comments and engagement from more than 500 residents. The presenter highlighted three recurring priorities from that outreach: enhanced pedestrian connections, improved intersections, and child safety around schools.

The plan's data review showed about 30 fatal or serious-injury crashes over the last 10 years (2014'2023) affecting roughly 36'37 seriously injured people and one death, the presenter said, and he stressed that vulnerable road users (pedestrians and bicyclists) are disproportionately represented in severe crashes. He noted that "about half of all crashes occurred within 100 feet of an intersection," and that the majority of the most severe crashes are intersection-related, particularly for pedestrians and bicyclists.

Commissioners asked how prescriptive the concept images are and whether short-term projects are grouped consistently in the draft. The presenter replied the plan includes concept-level ("5% concept") alternatives intended as guidance, not final designs, and that short-, mid- and long-term items were grouped by intent across the plan's five pillars; he agreed staff could consider reorganizing the draft to make short-term actions easier to identify.

A city staff member said council adoption will make River Falls eligible for SS4A implementation grants (up to $25,000,000) and noted staff are also preparing a separate federal BUILD grant application on an accelerated timetable.

A motion to recommend the resolution adopting the Safe Streets for All Safety Action Plan and to forward the draft to city council was made and seconded. The chair called for a voice vote; commissioners answered "aye" and the motion carried unanimously.

The Plan Commission's recommendation means the draft plan will next be considered by the City Council; staff said they will pursue grant opportunities to support implementation if the council adopts the plan.