Ocala Standard

City of Ocala Municipal Government issued the following announcement on January 13.

Ocala Marion Transportation Planning Organization Kicks Off Commitment To Zero Action Plan

Leaders from organizations around Ocala and Marion County gather to kick off movement with goal of zero traffic-related deaths and serious injuries

On the morning of January 12, leaders and elected officials from around Marion County gathered at the Marion County Board of County Commissioners auditorium to kick off the first meeting for the Commitment To Zero, an action plan by the Ocala Marion Transportation Planning Organization that aims to eliminate traffic-related deaths and serious injuries in Marion County.

Led by Marion County Commissioner Michelle Stone, the kickoff meeting introduced TPO members and laid out the action plan’s goals and timeline, with the aim being final adoption of the plan in late summer 2022.

Attendees of the meeting included Marion County Commissioners Michelle Stone and Kathy Bryant, Ocala Mayor Kent Guinn, and Florida Department of Transportation District Five Office of Safety Administrator Loreen Bobo. Members of the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, Ocala Police Department, Florida Highway Patrol, the Ocala City Council, Marion County Fire Rescue, the Marion County School Board, and more were also in attendance.

The Commitment To Zero plan aims to not only reduce, but eliminate deaths and serious injuries on Marion County roads. In the past decade, there were 793 deaths on Marion County roads, and the plan outlines proactive means in which we can work to prevent those deaths and serious injuries.

The plan focuses on four major cornerstones to accomplish its task:

1. Education and Awareness

    

2. Public and Partner Engagement

    

3. Safety Analysis

    

4. Action Planning

Now that the Commitment To Zero is officially under way, the Ocala Marion TPO has several events, meetings and surveys planned throughout the year before the plan is finalized in September, all of which can be found on the action plan’s website listed below.

The Ocala Marion TPO welcomes anyone interested to join the Commitment to Zero by attending an upcoming meeting, participating in a survey or by following the plan on Facebook or Twitter.

The plan is a collaborative process involving citizens, elected officials, stakeholders, and partners from the private and public sectors. Through the actions of everyone involved in this plan, together we can commit to zero traffic-related deaths and serious injuries in Marion County.

For more information about the Commitment To Zero action plan, please visit: ocalamariontpo.org/safety-plan/

Photo 1: The Commitment To Zero sign in the Marion County Board of County Commissioners auditorium. - Photo by Mark Anderson

Photo 2: Marion County Commissioner Stone speaks at the Commitment To Zero kickoff meeting on January 12 at the Marion County Board of County Commissioners auditorium. - Photo by Jovanny Arenas

More photos can be provided upon request.

Original source can be found here.