MEDIA, P.A. (KYW Newsradio) — From 2018 to 2022, there were 130 deaths on roads in Delaware County, according to Gina Burrit, the county’s director of planning.
“And there were 883 serious injuries during that time and we think that is just far too many,” she said. “One life is too many.”
It’s why Burrit said the county is implementing its own “ambitious” vision zero program, and even though the county doesn’t own any of the roads, the plan is to implement things like a dashboard where municipalities can access specific roadway information to see and fix road issues.
“We think we can help be the facilitator and collaborator with our municipalities and PennDOT, and try to help improve safety on all the roadways in the county,” said Burrit.
She said beyond the dashboard, the plan focuses on safer road design, lower speeds, equitable enforcement, and community education.
“As part of this plan we’ve done a lot of community outreach as well and that’s going to be really important to continue that,” said Burrit.
Boroughs can also sign up to be a part of the program.
“They can then go out and apply for grants to improve roadway safety on their roadways or we can partner with them to do that,” said Burrit.
And the initiative is also not just for cars and trucks.
“If you’re walking, if you’re riding a bike, if you’re using a wheelchair, any kind of mobility device,” Burrit said the goal is “that you really feel safe.”