The city of Meridian is asking residents to weigh in on how they move around town as it works to develop a plan to improve safety.

 

The Safe Streets and Roads for All Survey, which takes roughly five minutes to complete, asks residents to identify areas of travel and the city’s infrastructure where they believe more focus on safety is needed. The survey also allows residents to highlight specific streets or intersections to identify particular points of concern.

 

Brent Quick, with Neel-Schaffer Inc., an engineering firm contracted with the city to perform the survey, said the city is looking for feedback from drivers but also from pedestrians, cyclists and those who use other forms of transportation to move around the city.

 

Through the survey, the city is looking to identify ways to improve safety for travelers, connect sidewalks to expand pedestrian infrastructure, identify streets and avenues where safety upgrades or changes could be used and make sure resources are being used to the benefit of all Meridian residents.

 

The survey, which is phase 1 of the project, is expected to last through May. In phase 2, planners will take the data gathered from residents and use it to develop a draft safety plan. From there, residents will be able to review the plan and give additional feedback about anything they believe should be changed.

 

According to a timeline provided by the city, the final draft of the Meridian Safety Plan is expected by September.

 

With the safety plan completed, the city will be eligible to apply for grant funding through the Safe Streets for All program. The SS4A program, which is administered by the U.S. Department of Transportation, was created under the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act passed by Congress in 2021. The legislation appropriated $5 billion to be used for planning and implementation of safety improvement projects by local entities. According to the grant program’s website, approximately $2 billion has yet to be allocated.

 

Grants awarded under the SS4A program range from $100,000 to $25 million and can address pedestrian, cyclist, roadways or transit projects.