City of Palm Springs responds to pedestrian safety concerns

The City of Palm Springs is responding to concerns about pedestrian safety. After numerous complaints about missing sidewalks and unsafe crosswalks, officials say they’re taking steps to improve the safety of the community.

The City sent NBC Palm Springs a statement on the matter. You can read that statement here:

“The City is actively working on 42 signals at a cost of about $8.7 million.  Each of the traffic signal improvements were in one way or another identified for safety issues and City Staff worked on securing outside funding for those projects.

The projects below have a link to staff reports that staff has successfully secured funding for and is actively working on:

Highway Safety Improvement Project (HSIP 7) – improve with latest traffic safety equipment of 17 signalized intersections,  $2.8 million

Click to access 2466_1H_OCR.pdf

HSIP 8 –  improve with latest traffic safety equipment of 14 signalized intersections and 1 Changeable message board and flashing beacon at Gene Autry trail,  $2.5 million

Click to access 2956_1M_OCR.pdf

HSIP 9 –  improve with latest traffic safety equipment of 9 traffic signal intersections, $ 1.7 million

Click to access 2646_1B_OCR.pdf

Senate Bill 1 – funding for two traffic signals,  $ 1.67 Million

Click to access 3069_1U_OCR.pdf

Senate Bill 821 – funding for a pedestrian traffic signal at Racquet Club/Via Miraleste (HAWK Signal) – $168,500 (1/2 cost)

Click to access 3194_1N_OCR.pdf

In addition, staff secured the following grants for safety related studies :

Local Road Safety Plan,  $72,000  

Click to access 2451_1G_OCR.pdf

Pedestrian Master Plan and Safe Routs to School Master Plan, $250,000

Regionally the City is participating in the Coachella Valley Association of Governments (CVAG) Regional Traffic Signal Synchronization Program described below:

CVAG’s major effort to advance the development of a valley-wide traffic signal interconnect master plan and signal synchronization of new and existing signals on the regional arterials roads. This program is to:

Improve multimodal mobility
Maximize highway and arterial system capacity
Improve operational efficiency, safety and the environment throughout the Coachella Valley
Prepare the agencies in the Coachella Valley for future emerging transportation technologies, including connected vehicles, autonomous vehicles, big data, integrated corridor management (ICM), and smart cities.

The City receives numerous requests for the installation of signals, speed reduction, traffic calming and all-way stops across the City.  Staff evaluates each submittal and if appropriate performs the appropriate engineering studies required and also attempts to secure funding from the State and Federal government.

In addition, sidewalk safety is being addressed through the Safe Routes to School Master Plan.”