Thursday, November 2, 2023 

MONTEREY COUNTY – The Transportation Agency for Monterey County (TAMC) announced that U.S. Representative Jimmy Panetta (CA-19) has secured $640,000 in federal funding for TAMC to develop a Monterey County Regional Vision Zero Plan.

The Monterey County Regional Vision Zero Plan will be a comprehensive county-wide safety action plan developed by TAMC in collaboration with partner agencies and other stakeholders to promote coordinated solutions to reduce fatalities and injuries due to traffic collisions in Monterey County.

When discussing the funding secured through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) grants program, Representative Jimmy Panetta said, “Each year, 42,000 Americans are killed in traffic collisions, tragedies that might have been prevented through proper roadway safety measures.”  Mr. Panetta went on to say that he was “Proud to secure a significant federal investment to support local efforts to make our streets safer for pedestrians, cyclists, and motorists. Those types of infrastructure improvements will get us closer to our vision of zero deaths or serious injuries on roadways as we work to improve public safety throughout our home in California’s 19th Congressional District.”

Todd Muck, TAMC’s Executive Director, said that the award will build upon the current collaboration between TAMC and Blue Zone Project Monterey County to implement a “Safe Streets Together" public awareness campaign. The campaign’s objective is to raise awareness around shared responsibilities to make Monterey County’s streets safer. Mr. Muck emphasized that point by saying “One fatality is too many. Let’s advocate for changes that will make our streets safer and make it easier to share the road.”

Monterey County is one of 235 communities who will receive these U.S. Department of Transportation grants for planning and demonstrations projects to improve safety and help prevent deaths and serious injuries on the nation’s roadways.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg summed it up by saying, “Whether it’s a dangerous intersection or highway, or a need for better bus and bike lanes, no one can better pinpoint a community’s safety needs than the people who actually live and work there.”

About Vision Zero

Vision Zero is a strategy to eliminate all traffic fatalities and severe injuries, while increasing safe, healthy, and equitable mobility for all. First implemented in Sweden in the 1990s, Vision Zero has proved successful across Europe — and now it’s gaining momentum in major American cities.

TAMC’s Monterey County Regional Vision Zero Plan will develop individual action plans for the Cities of Carmel by the Sea, Del Rey Oaks, Gonzales, Greenfield, King City, Marina, Pacific Grove, Sand City, Seaside, Soledad, and the County of Monterey. The Cities of Monterey and Salinas have already adopted Vision Zero Plans. Adoption of a Vision Zero Plan will make the jurisdiction eligible for further funding to construct the improvements envisioned in the plan.

For more information about the grant funding,  contact Theresa Wright at (831) 775-4411 or Theresa@tamcmonterey.org.

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“The Transportation Agency for Monterey County (TAMC) is responsible for investing in regional transportation projects for Monterey County residents, businesses, and visitors. The mission of TAMC is to develop and maintain a multimodal transportation system that enhances mobility, safety, access, environment quality and economic activities in Monterey County. For more information visit www.tamcmonterey.org or call 831.775.0903.”

 Blue Zones Project Monterey County

Brought to Monterey County through an innovative sponsorship by Salinas Valley Memorial Healthcare System, Taylor Farms, and Montage Health in collaboration with Sharecare, Inc. and Blue Zones, LLC, Blue Zones Project® is a community-by-community well-being improvement initiative designed to enable community members to live longer, happier lives with lower rates of chronic diseases and a higher quality of life. Based on principles developed by Dan Buettner, National Geographic Fellow, and New York Times best-selling author of “The Blue Zones” and “The Blue Zones Solution,” Blue Zones Project is designed to make healthy choices easier through permanent changes to the built environment, policy, and social networks. To learn more about Blue Zones Project, contact the Blue Zones Project team in Monterey County or visit info.bluezonesproject.com/montereycounty.