Habersham developing Safety Action Plan

Habersham County officials are seeking the public’s help in developing a Safety Action Plan (SAP) for the county. And they have released a guideline that explains exactly what they are trying to accomplish and how you can participate.

WHAT IS A SAFETY ACTION PLAN (SAP)?
A Safety Action Plan (SAP) is a document that provides local governments the means to make strategic roadway safety
improvements. The plans identify the most significant roadway safety concerns in a community and outline the projects
and strategies to address them. SAPs not only assist local practitioners in understanding crash trends within their
jurisdiction, but they also define a locally focused plan for practitioners to make informed, prioritized safety decisions.

WHAT IS SAFE STREETS AND ROADS FOR ALL (SS4A)?

The Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) discretionary grant program was established by the Bipartisan Infrastructure
Law (BIL) and has $5B in appropriated funds for the 5-year period from 2022 to 2026. This federal grant supports local
jurisdictions planning, infrastructure, behavioral, and operational initiatives to prevent death and serious injury for all
roadway users, with an emphasis on equity to improve roads and streets under local ownership.

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF AN SAP?

Meets eligibility requirements that allow local jurisdictions to apply for future Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A)
Demonstration and Implementation Grant program funding as well as other funding sources.
Strengthens a community’s approach to eliminating roadway fatalities and serious injuries through projects and
strategies that address the most significant safety risks.
Involves a paradigm shift to improve safety culture, increase collaboration across all safety stakeholders, and
refocus transportation system design and operation on anticipating human mistakes and lessening impact forces
to reduce crash severity and save lives.
Provides the opportunity to prioritize safety improvements and justify investment decisions in coordination with
various partner agencies
WE NEED YOUR HELP!
To help inform the Habersham County SAP, provide input on existing concerns or issues related to improving safety in Habersham County. Your
feedback will be used to identify opportunities for improvement and help create a safer community for everyone!
Each of the following are ways to get involved:
Visit the County’s website (provided below) to learn more about the SAP
Complete the brief online survey
Help us identify transportation and safety needs in the county using the interactive map
Sign up for the mailing list to stay informed of any updates to the plan
Visit the project website here: https://www.habershamga.com/safe-streets-for-all

About the Author

Ken Stanford is Online News Editor for GLORY 97.5, a position he has held since August 2022.

Ken was born in Moultrie, Georgia, and says he knew from the time he was 5 or 6 he wanted to be a “radio announcer.” That dream was realized when he was hired by Moultrie radio station WMTM in 1960 at the age of 15 as a weekend disc jockey. A 1963 graduate of Moultrie (now Colquitt County) High School, he has spent his whole career in Georgia working for stations in Atlanta, Marietta, and Gainesville – most recently as News Director for 40 years at WDUN in Gainesville. He is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force Reserves.

Ken retired in 2011 but came out of retirement last year to help GLORY, on a part-time basis, beef-up its online news presence.

He is the recipient of many Associated Press awards and is a former judge of state and national Associated Press broadcast news contests. In 2005, he was presented with the Georgia Associated Press Broadcasters Association’s President’s Award for Excellence in Journalism and in 2019 was inducted into the Georgia Radio Hall of Fame.

He lives in Gainesville with his wife of 52 years, the former Sandra McKnight of Clio, Alabama, and they have one child, a daughter, Lisa, who lives in Cumming with her family.