If you know intersections, roadways or other factors that create dangerous conditions for motorists, pedestrians or other road users in Allegheny County, the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission wants to hear from you.

The commission will begin a series of public meetings on Tuesday as it develops the Allegheny County Action Safety Plan with a goal of eliminating all traffic deaths. The commission’s goal is to adopt a plan by the end of the year to identify dangerous locations, prioritize them and see what funding might be available to eliminate the danger.

The development of a countywide plan follows Pittsburgh’s announcement in March that it was joining the international Zero Vision Network and beginning formal programs to analyze every fatal crash to identify problems that led to the crash.

“Every traffic death is one too many,” Lillian Gabreski, director of transportation planning at SPC, said in a news release. “The Allegheny County Safety Action Plan is about taking proactive steps to ensure everyone in our community can get where they’re going safely.”

The hearings begin at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday at Hossana House Wallace Event Center, 807 Wallace Ave., Wilkinsburg. Other hearings will be held at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Dormont Recreation Center, 1801 Dormont Ave., Dormont; Thursday at Moon Township Municipal Building, 1000 Beaver Grade Road, Moon; and next Tuesday at CCAC North Campus, Auditorium FL4, 8701 Perry Highway, McCandless.

The agency already has been working behind the scenes with police and community leaders to identify potential problem locations, DJ Ryan, director of strategic initiatives and policy, said in an email response to questions. Now, it wants to hear from the general public.

“The team wants to hear from residents and all roadway users …” Ryan said. “This first round of public outreach aims to broaden the scope of feedback we receive, especially from the general public.”

In addition to road conditions, the agency wants to hear about risky behavior such as impaired driving, distracted driving and not wearing seatbelts.

Staff will analyze the data it receives and prepare an action plan before a second round of public engagement in August. The agency will review comments on the second phase of the project and is expected to adopt a formal plan by the end of the year.

The plan is being paid for through a $520,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Safe Streets for All program, plus mandatory matches from Pittsburgh and Allegheny County for a total cost of $650,000.

In a separate effort, the regional planning commission is updating its 10-county safety plan, which is in much less detail than the Allegheny County plan. The agency is working with the other nine counties to develop funding applications so they can develop their own detailed action plan.

Ed covers transportation at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at eblazina@unionprogress.com.

Ed Blazina

Ed covers transportation at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at eblazina@unionprogress.com.