A section of Warner Road between Priest Drive and I-10 is among several roadways under increased law enforcement scrutiny as one of Tempe’s recent Safety Corridor target areas. The goal of the program—reducing serious and fatal traffic injuries—is part of Tempe’s Vision Zero Action Plan that focuses on more strict policing on targeted thoroughfares.
So far this year, enforcement efforts have been active in four different corridors that change every three months, a modification from previous years in which four active corridors remained in place for the entire year. In addition to the Warner Road designation, which is due to last through September, other targeted areas are:
• McClintock Drive – Apache Boulevard to Rio Salado Parkway
• 48th Street – Broadway Road to Southern Avenue
• Baseline Road – McClintock Drive to State Route 101
The target areas are selected based on analysis of streets within the city with the highest number of injury collisions, including serious physical injuries or fatalities, according to officials.
Said Lieutenant Michael Hayes: “Safety corridors are major supports on our roads. They guide drivers towards safer travel by highlighting danger zones and encouraging responsible driving.”
As a strategy for reducing crashes, the targeted routes are subject to a three-fold approach of enforcement, engineering and education—the so-called “Three E’s” of road safety. Tempe traffic engineers review each active target area for needed updates, such outdated signage, faded pavement markings or necessary adjustments to traffic signal timings.
The public sees yellow banners lettered in black reading “Safety Corridor – Strict Enforcement” along the corridors to help remind road users that they are in an area with a high number of injury collisions and that traffic laws are strictly enforced. Officials note that Vision Zero is a data-driven traffic safety policy that takes what they have determined is “an ethical approach towards achieving safety for all road users.”
Tempe joined the world-wide initiative with a goal of reducing the number of fatal and serious injury crashes to zero. Information: tempe.gov/VisionZero.
