PRESENTER: Presenter
Elizabeth Dupont, Transportation Planner
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SUBJECT: Title
Presentation and update on Vision Zero and Street Safety Action Plan.
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DEPARTMENT: Transportation and Construction Services
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COUNCIL DISTRICTS IMPACTED: All
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
The City has committed to “no fatalities or serious injuries from traffic accidents by 2040”, achieved through the Vision Zero approach to design, program, and policy improvements that work together to create a safer transportation system. In March 2024, the City of New Braunfels Street Safety Action Plan was adopted by City Council as part of ongoing efforts to improve safety for all road users. The plan was developed in 2023 to evaluate existing crash history and data with community priorities to generate a road network safety analysis that was used to identify high-priority road segments and intersections for the city to address and advocate for with our partners at the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT).
This presentation will cover what projects have been implemented and completed as of December 2025, and what other programs are in development or underway. It will also briefly address our recent annual crash history trends and Vision Zero progress.
In 2025, 1,659 crashes occurred within city limits, an overall increase from 2024 with1,609 crashes. Even so, our Vision Zero goal progress saw improvement: a decrease from a combined 48 fatal or serious injury crashes in 2024 to 35 in 2025. The top two contributing factors continue to be Failure to Control Speed and Driver Inattention. While there was an overall increase in the number of crashes from 2024, an increase occurred on TxDOT’s on-system roadways, while off-system City streets saw a decrease in total crashes. The number of pedestrian- and bicycle-involved crashes has decreased, though the number of these crashes resulting in fatalities and serious injuries has remained consistent.
We have begun to make progress in implementing the policies and programs recommended in the Street Safety Action Plan (2024), most notably the Neighborhood Traffic Calming Policy, Rio Transit, and public outreach. Six of the 12 City Priority Projects have been completed, and the rest are funded and in design.
STRATEGIC PLAN REFERENCE:
N/A Economic Mobility YES Enhanced Connectivity N/A Community Identity
N/A Organizational Excellence YES Community Well-Being