Presentation by Dan Landon, Nevada County Transportation Commission, at the 2014 National Rural Transportation Conference.

1. Where is “Safety” in this Diagram?
Strategic
Growth Plan
Pyramid

2. Twelve mile corridor on SR 49 –
Corridor Safety stats below statewide average for facility type

4. Plan your work:
Design Goals
 Free flowing traffic from end to end; no “North Auburn” atmosphere with multiple traffic signals.
 Protect scenic resources. Keep rural character with trees, landforms, and other features.
 Avoid environmental impacts whenever possible. Cherry Creek and Wolf Creek avoided.
 Improve existing environmental impacts wherever possible. Plans include up to eight animal crossings, 114 acres of
mitigation property in large parcels, and purchase of sufficient right-of-way for slope rounding along the roadway.
 Use creativity to reduce costs through good design. Proposed ideas include narrower shoulder and median width where
appropriate.
 Improve safety to mainline and access road traffic by consolidating access points and constructing frontage roads.

5. Focus on a particular segment:
During the period from July 1, 2002 to June 30, 2005, there were
39 collisions, with 4 fatalities in the project vicinity. The fatality rate
within the proposed project limits was 2.7 times higher than the
statewide average for similar facilities.

6. Go above and beyond:
• ITS Safety Evaluation Team
NCTC contacted The University of Berkeley Institute of Transportation
Studies (ITS) Safety Evaluation Team requesting their assistance in
evaluating four sections of roadway in Nevada County deemed as
problem spots. One of the areas to be studied was the intersection of
SR 49 at La Barr Meadows Road. … A team of two highly qualified traffic
flow/collision/safety engineers visited Nevada County January 29th and
30th to evaluate this intersection on SR 49. Their report helped identify
viable safety and operational improvements.

7. Work Your Plan
TELL THE STORY

8. Traffic turning onto La Barr Meadows Road from SR 49
north-bound.
Intersection sign and flashing lights installed recently.
The orange truck, below, is planning it’s exit from La Barr Meadows
Road.
The La Barr Meadows Road and
SR 49 intersection has drawn considerable public
attention lately. Due to safety concerns along this portion of
the SR 49 corridor, Nevada County citizens are circulating a
petition requesting a traffic signal be installed at the intersection
and that the speed limit be reduced in the area.

9. Car waiting to pull out from Welsh Lane, just south of La Barr
Meadows Road. Mtn. Air Mobile Home Park is across the road.
Truck crossing northbound lane of SR 49 to go south

10. Cite Project Benefits:
Accident data was compared to another segment in the southern part
of the corridor that had been improved. The accident rate in the in
southern portion was 1.81 per million vehicle kilometers (MKV).
After improvement, the accident rate fell to 0.24 MKV. Total accidents
in a three year period dropped from 80 before improvement, to 3 after
improvement.
(This is a benefit of “monitoring” as required in performance based
planning)

11. Make Your Priority, your Funder’s Priority:
• NCTC told it’s story to citizens, to Caltrans, to the media, to legislators,
and to the CTC (Funder). When citizens passed a bond to fund
transportation improvements that met “certain criteria”, we prepared
an application that explained how our project met every criteria.
• Although we were competing with projects in a statewide
competition, CTC staff felt compelled to recommend funding for our
project, citing that NCTC application was the most complete in the
state. Our project didn’t win because it reduced the most accidents
statewide, but we showed how important it was to our region and
that it did meet the criteria used, or…..

12. "Victims were strapped down so that they could not move, and cold
water was then dripped slowly on to the forehead. The forehead was
found to be the most suitable point for this form of torture because of
its sensitivity: prisoners could see each drop coming, and after long
durations were gradually driven frantic as a perceived hollow would
form in the center of the forehead."