WITH one of the largest county road networks in the state, the Ocean County Board of Commissioners is participating in a Local Safety Action Plan that will identify and prioritize transportation safety improvements to reduce serious accidents on County and municipal roadways.

"Ocean County places the highest importance on the safety of its roadways and transit users. Creating a Local Safety Action Plan (LSAP) is a vital step to make sure we continue to prioritize safety across all forms of transportation," said Ocean County Commissioner John P. Kelly, liaison to the Ocean County Department of Engineering and a North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority Board Member. "Creating a Local Safety Action Plan will boost safety for Ocean County residents traveling throughout the area and provide us with future opportunities to obtain funding for safety upgrades. We are eager to collaborate with local stakeholders and transportation users to promote safer transportation across Ocean County."

This planning effort is being funded by the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority, the federally authorized metropolitan planning organization for 13 counties in northern and central New Jersey.

One of the first steps taken to get the action plan under way is encouraging residents to participate in a survey and web mapping activity.

"We encourage Ocean County residents to visit Ocean.SafetyPlansNJ.com to participate in the survey and web mapping activity," said Director of the Ocean County Board of Commissioners Barbara Jo Crea.

The LSAP process relies on input from Ocean County residents and technical experts to match local needs with solutions that will reduce and eliminate serious injuries and fatalities.

More than 59 percent of all fatal and serious injury crashes in Ocean County happen on local roads. The Federal Highway Administration has identified local safety action plans as a proven and effective strategy to reduce these crashes.

There will be several opportunities for Ocean County residents to provide feedback to help guide the creation of this plan, including the online survey and in-person events.

"Ocean County's population continues to grow exponentially putting more motorists and pedestrians on our roads. Our population also more than doubles during the summer tourism season adding tremendously to the number of vehicles, pedestrians and bicyclists using the roads," Kelly said. "Ocean County maintains more than 1,600 county lane miles along with nearly 260 culverts and bridges. We have always made safety a priority, which has not changed.

"This Local Safety Action Plan will provide us with yet another tool to help us make certain our roads are constructed and maintained as the safest transportation network possible," Kelly said.

According to the NJTPA, creating LSAPs can help counties and municipalities access new funding opportunities to implement safety plans, including federal programs such as the $5 billion Safe Streets and Roads for All Program.

To learn more about the Local Safety Action Plan and stay up to date about ways to contribute to the plan, visit the project website at Ocean.SafetyPlansNJ.com.