CASE STUDY
USING GIS DATA TO PRIORITIZE TRAFFIC SAFETY SERVICE REQUESTS
OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA Pop. Served: 441,000 Depts. Using Cityworks: Public Works, Transportation User Since: 2008
The City of Oakland is one of the first cities to adopt equity as a determinant of service delivery. Here’s how the Oakland Department of Transportation uses Cityworks, ArcGIS, and SeeClickFix to implement a data-driven workflow for prioritizing traffic safety requests in areas of need. BY WESTLEY COTTAM AND SARA ADELMAN, CITYWORKS CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
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veryone deserves access to safe transportation options, whether they are driving, walking, riding a bike, or using public transit. Yet data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control show that more than 36,000 people in the U.S. were killed in traffic-related incidents in 2019. It was the leading cause of death for people
aged 5 to 24, and the second leading cause of death for all other age groups under 85. According to the Safe Routes for Schools National Partnership, low-income communities and communities of color are more likely to experience traffic-related injury and death. Infrastructure improvements can help calm traffic in high risk
areas. Traffic signs, pavement marking, and small-scale traffic calming devices can be implemented quickly and at relatively low cost. In an effort to reduce traffic-related injuries in their community and ensure equitable services, the City of Oakland Department of Transportation (OakDOT) Traffic Safety Request
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