LIMA, OH (WLIO) - The City of Lima will launch a new program aiming to improve road and transportation safety within the city.
Mayor Smith says the work for the program is scheduled to begin early next year with a completion by late 2025.
The Neighborhood Traffic Management Program will work to identify issues of traffic volume and speed within the city to promote safety for all modes of travel. In this program, the Department of Public Works will bring in professional consultants who will give city engineers and the traffic commission guidance on what options will best improve travel in Lima.
The Neighborhood Traffic Management Program will work to identify issues of traffic volume and speed within the city to promote safety for all modes of travel.
The program was inspired by the Walking the Wards program, where the public consistently told Mayor Sharetta Smith about the need to slow people down on Lima's roads.
"There's several requests for new stop signs, new traffic lights, speed bumps, all of those things that are designed to slow down traffic and make our roads more pedestrian friendly," stated Mayor Sharetta Smith, City of Lima.
The Department of Public Works will bring in professional consultants who will give city engineers and the traffic commission guidance on what options will best improve travel in Lima.
Mayor Smith says the work for the program is scheduled to begin early next year with a completion by late 2025.
November 4, 2024, Press Release from the City of Lima: With several key initiatives currently underway, the City of Lima is taking a holistic approach to improving roadway and transportation safety.
On Monday, November 4th, 2024, Mayor Sharetta Smith authorized the Department of Public Works to issue a request for letters of interest from qualified professional consultants for the creation of a Neighborhood Traffic Management Program. This program will provide guidance and direction to address issues with traffic volume and speed to ensure Lima’s neighborhood streets stay safe and accessible for residents across all modes of travel. Work for the program is anticipated to begin in early 2025 and be completed by late 2025.
As part of the Neighborhood Traffic Management Program, the City looks to incorporate best practices known as “The Four E’s”: engineering through physical infrastructure changes, education to motivate change in traveler behavior, enforcement of laws and regulations, and encouragement to spread awareness regarding the deadly consequences of speeding.
"When motorists travel through our neighborhoods, we want them to slow down and drive neighborly," says Mayor Sharetta Smith. "In other words, we want them to drive as if they are personally invested in the safety of our community."
Mayor Sharetta Smith added, "Changing travel patterns and motorist behavior can be challenging, but this program we are launching aims to promote safety through a comprehensive approach. We are exploring various solutions and funding sources, with the ultimate goal of reducing crashes and speeding violations, while also encouraging walking and biking on our local streets."
The request for letters of interest for a Neighborhood Traffic Management Program is only one of many initiatives currently underway to improve safe travel throughout the city.
The City of Lima was also recently awarded $485,560 through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Safe Streets and Roads for All grant program to develop a comprehensive, multimodal safety action plan. Initial planning is set to begin in the second half of 2025 and will help build a pipeline of projects for future funding.
In addition, earlier this year city officials announced that Lima received $5.3 million in funding from the Ohio Department of Transportation and Federal Highway Administration to improve safety for motorists as well as pedestrian accessibility on Cable Road, from the intersections of Latham Avenue to College Park West. With 156 crashes occurring along the corridor between 2017 and 2021, and 30% of those crashes resulting in injuries, the planning currently underway represents a significant opportunity to address the documented safety concerns and improve connectivity for pedestrians.
The City of Lima also partnered with the Ohio Department of Transportation, Lima City School District, and Heir Force Community School to develop School Travel Plans through Ohio’s Safe Routes to School (SRTS) program. The Safe Routes to School program provides resources, technical assistance and project funding to encourage and enable students in grades K-12 to walk or ride their bike to school. A comprehensive approach to SRTS includes both infrastructure and noninfrastructure countermeasures and programs. Work on the School Travel Plans kicked off in September 2024 and is anticipated to be completed in April 2025.
The Ohio Department of Transportation is improving safety at State Route 65 and Bluelick Road intersection on the north side of Lima. This project will evaluate the feasibility of a roundabout or other roadway safety improvement at the intersection. The ODOT District 1 Traffic and Safety Engineer submitted a formal application for this project in 2023. The application included crash analysis, capacity analysis, economic analysis, traffic volumes, and turning movement counts. ODOT’s Highway Safety Improvement Program funded the proposed project in 2023. The preferred intersection design option will be carried into construction in the summer and fall of 2027.
Through each of these programs, the City of Lima continues to explore opportunities to improve safety and accessibility for all travelers, while also seeking funding from state and federal partners.
