BOISE, Idaho — The Boise City Council created a Traffic Fatality Review Task Force in their regular Tuesday work session meeting to address "the surge in traffic crashes and fatalities between vehicles and bicyclists and pedestrians."
Boise City Council President Jimmy Hallyburton proposed the idea after seeing the increase in cars crashing into pedestrians and bicycles firsthand; Hallyburton founded the Boise Bicycle Project 16 years ago.
"It's hard to tell what hat I'm wearing when it comes to this conversation. You know, through the Boise bicycle project, we donate thousands of bicycles to kids every year," Hallyburton said. "There are over 12,000 kids who are riding on BBP bicycles. And we certainly feel that sense of responsibility for their safety. And at this point, there wasn't a specific mechanism where Ada County Highway [District], City of Boise and Boise Police were all working together to evaluate these things at the same time."
The task force meets every three months to review complaints, issues, comments, and concerns. Moreover, it meets immediately after any fatal pedestrian or bicycle crash. The team is reactionary by design; however, it will create long-term solutions to everyday problems.
"When it came to 16th Street where that crash [earlier this year] occurred, one of the things that [ACHD] immediately did realign the lights so that they were positioned straight over the lanes instead of a little bit over to the side," Hallyburton said. "That intersection where that crash occurred was immediately safer after they got involved. Now, is that enough to prevent anything from happening in the future? We don't know yet, and that's why we need this review task force."
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