Reed listed proposals beyond just traffic enforcement, but a Spotlight PA review found that a previous nationally recognized<\/a> traffic safety plan did not work the way officials intended.<\/p>\n The initiative, known as \u201cComplete Streets,\u201d included goals such as tracking the number of bike share users, conducting business satisfaction surveys of streets and sidewalks, and monitoring the percentage of the city\u2019s population within two miles of \u201clow stress\u201d bike routes.<\/p>\n City Council was supposed to get an annual report detailing the progress of the initiative, but members of the mayor\u2019s administration told Spotlight PA they did not know when the task force managing the project last met. Also, the city has downsized to one traffic engineer.<\/p>\n Now officials want to move in a different direction. They believe they can because of the city\u2019s exit from the state\u2019s budget oversight program<\/a> and a new state-approved tool to fund development<\/a>. The city will try again to reduce car crashes under the new program, if it can chase and earn the necessary funding to follow through.<\/p>\n \u201cYou’ll hear the sentiment in Council meetings that the city has had a plethora of plans, and they just end up on shelves,\u201d said Jack Gombach, Reading\u2019s managing director, who acts as representative for the mayor\u2019s office in meetings and as the city\u2019s chief administrative officer. \u201cOur focus has really been consolidating those plans and then actually executing on those plans.\u201d<\/p>\n Still, Gombach insisted that the city will follow through this time, even if it does not win the initial grant to get started.<\/p>\n Officials insist Reading\u2019s application \u2018strong\u2019 despite error<\/p>\n Reading\u2019s pitch for grant funding includes 5.1 miles of bike lanes, removable speed cushions, increased signage, and painted crosswalks in parts of the downtown area, according to a Spotlight PA review of the Safe Streets and Roads for All<\/a> application.<\/p>\n The additions would be temporary unless the city later deems the test run successful. The grant application lists a number of success metrics, including a before-and-after count of bicycle users on the new routes, public surveys, and a comparison of crash data over a year\u2019s time.<\/p>\n The city applied for a grant under the same program in fiscal year 2024 but did not get the funds. Spotlight PA requested a copy or synopsis of the past proposal but one was not provided by the time of publication.<\/p>\n The federal Department of Transportation, in charge of awarding the grant, prioritizes cities with fatality rates of around 17 persons per 100,000, according to the application Reading submitted. Reading said it should still be eligible for the grant despite not meeting that threshold because of its high poverty and traffic fatality rate of about 10 persons per 100,000.<\/p>\n However, Spotlight PA discovered the consultants and city employees who prepared the application and Vision Zero report listed two different rates in each document. The application listed an average fatality rate of 10.3 persons from 2018-2022. The actual fatality rate was about 5.04 persons \u2014 half of what they submitted in the original application and slightly higher than the 4.9 persons listed in the report.<\/p>\n The project consultant said he would submit corrections to both documents.<\/p>\n Tiffany Smith, a program manager with Vision Zero Network, was unsure how editing the application would affect Reading\u2019s eligibility. The network is a national nonprofit<\/a> that advocates for car-alternative transportation policies and helps connect participating communities.<\/p>\n Gombach said he does not anticipate the error will affect the application. He also expects any changes to downtown, once proven successful, to become permanent.<\/p>\n \u201cAt the end of the day, it’s still a very strong application, even with the corrected numbers,\u201d Gombach said. \u201cAnd it’s comprehensive to what we’re trying to do, not just in our downtown, but in our city.\u201d<\/p>\n Smith said the specific type of grant, known as a \u201cdemonstration grant,\u201d can be easier for cities to get than others.<\/p>\n Many use it to test-drive ideas. This can take the form of more experimental projects like installing speed-tracking systems into the cars of repeat offenders. Or it can be a way for cities to fund systems to pilot safety measures without committing to the full cost of permanent installation, Smith said.<\/p>\n Downtown Reading is not populous, but the grant application argued the neighborhood\u2019s residents are some of the most cost-burdened in the city and have some of the highest transportation costs, making it an ideal location for bike lanes and increased safety measures.<\/p>\n The application also cites a \u201chigh number\u201d of crashes at downtown intersections, but does not specify if those are the city\u2019s most dangerous.<\/p>\n Hanna Holthaus \/ Spotlight PA<\/p>\n Vehicular crashes in Reading, 2020-24<\/p>\n Smith said cities usually address the highest crash zones first as they apply for grant funding. Those areas regularly may intersect with disadvantaged neighborhoods, Smith said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt’s a good thing in the sense of what we do see usually in trends is that high poverty communities are overrepresented in deaths and severe injuries,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n The most successful projects nationally have community buy-in, Smith noted. She advised the city to look for small wins, be responsive to feedback, and pay attention to statistically proven safety measures.<\/p>\n City officials expect to find out in the fall if they won the grant. They will have one year to complete the project if the funding is approved and contractually will have to dedicate $300,000 of city funds.<\/p>\n Lessons from other Pa. communities<\/p>\n Having a dedicated Vision Zero coordinator and active planning team (normally made of community stakeholders) is essential to progress, Smith advised. She had never heard of a city with Reading\u2019s population size having only one traffic engineer, but other members of a planning team can help as well.<\/p>\n There are more resources available to cities now than in 2015 when Reading passed its Complete Streets plan, Smith said. She recommended the city look to its neighbors and replicate what has been successfully completed.<\/p>\n The City of Lancaster and the City of Bethlehem received $12.7 million and $9.9 million, respectively, in 2023 through the same federal grant program Reading applied to in June.<\/p>\n Lancaster\u2019s plan takes a broad approach<\/a>. The city planned to use the funding to strategically convert some roads to two-way streets to calm traffic, create school safety projects, and update crosswalks, among other actions.<\/p>\n![\"Heat](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/MjAyNS8wOC8wMW05LXNkdmItZzdzNy1rbjgxLnBuZw==.jpeg\" "\\"Heat")
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