~ Find out why prioritizing safety matters and what actions the city is taking to manage speed and prevent deaths ~

RICHMOND, Va. – The Department of Public Works (DPW) is hosting a Speed Management Symposium Wednesday, November 8 from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at Main Street Station, 1500 East Main Street. The Fall series is the second of its type to be held by the City of Richmond.  The symposium is meant to educate the community and provide information and resources on new and future projects addressing safety and speed management. Despite a reduction in the overall number of crashes in the City of Richmond, severe-injury and fatal crashes are increasing.  Even in the face of concerted efforts to curtail preventable injuries, speed is the common vector in these tragic incidents. The city is working to manage speeding with tactical measures, such as, increasing traffic calming measures and improving safety for people who walk and roll, using low-cost, systemic, quick build improvements that provide immediate safety benefits through changing the built environment, reducing speed limits, and applying enforcement; the city needs community involvement. We need everyone to work together to slow down and create a culture of safety in our city and reverse the deadly trend of speeding.

The Speed Management Symposium will provide:

• Presentations
  
  • Speed Management and Vision Zero Program
  • Richmond Connects and Safety
  • Roadway Safety Projects and the Budget Process
  • Richmond Police Department
  • VCU Police Department
• ​​​​​​​Safer Streets Information/Exhibit Booths:​​​​​​​
  
  • Representatives from various divisions throughout DPW, Office of Equitable Transit and Mobility, Richmond Police, VCU Police, VCU Enforcement and Education, Fall Line Trail, Richmond Fire Department, VDOT, Plan RVA and Bike Walk RVA | Sports Backers 
• Question and Answer Session
• Heavy refreshments will be served, RSVP recommended

RSVP https://www.rva.gov/public-works/symposium

For more information on the Department, go to www.rva.gov/public-works or email AskPublicWorks@rva.gov

We’re Social! For updates on DPW-related projects, activities and events visit us on Twitter (X) @DPW_RichmondVA

###

The City of Richmond Department of Public Works (DPW) is one of only 195 currently accredited public works agencies in the United States. DPW’s portfolio comprises a wide array of services to include leaf collection; street, sidewalk and alley maintenance; trash collection; recycling; grass cutting;  graffiti removal; parking enforcement; urban forestry; street signs; traffic signals and pavement markings and civil engineering. In addition, DPW maintains upkeep on most city buildings; issues permits for working in the city’s 22right-of-way; manages the RVA Bike Share program and maintains the fleet of city vehicles. DPW’s operating budget comes from the general fund of the City of Richmond.  For more information about DPW services, click here or call 3-1-1

The City of Richmond, Virginia, in 1966, codified one of the oldest continuously operating transportation safety commissions in North America - The Safe and Healthy Streets Commission (SHSC). Since its inception, the SHSC has advised the Richmond City Council on all transportation safety matters. The SHSC has a diverse membership and includes citizens, transportation safety professionals, a city council member, the Chief of Police, the Director of Public Works, the Superintendent of Schools, and the City Transportation Engineer.

The SHSC sets annual priorities focused on executive, legislative, budgetary, and cultural changes. These priorities work towards the Richmond City Council’s 2016 goal, backed by Mayor Stoney, to reduce traffic-related fatalities and serious injuries to ZERO by 2030. The SHSC’s annual priorities reflect the City’s commitment to Vision Zero, the Safe System approach (SSA), and Complete Streets policies. The SHSC adopted the twelve strategies and five supplemental planning needs, based on their set annual priorities, to improve Richmond’s built environment and strengthen the culture of safety. With its high-functioning Vision Zero organizational structure, Richmond is well positioned to implement these projects and supplemental planning activities that showcase the impact of the SSA using proven safety countermeasures and low-cost, high-impact strategies.

The Safe and Healthy Streets Commission (SHSC) adopted Richmond’s Vision Zero Action Plan in 2018 and is charged with monitoring and reporting progress on the Action Plan. The Mayor and the SHSC established a Vision Zero Task Force, made up of City department leaders, charged with implementing the strategies, projects, and policies set out in the Action Plan.