At its Regular Meeting on October 14, the Waxhaw Board of Commissioners unanimously approved the Waxhaw Safety Action Plan (SAP), our Town’s foundational document for improving roadway and multimodal safety which is required to receive federal funding for transportation improvements. The funding comes from the Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) program through the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA).

The SAP is the Town’s toolkit that provides the framework, guidance, and strategies to improve roadway safety in the near term and well into the future. The plan outlines how the Town can implement safer roadway design, prioritize pedestrian and bicycle facilities to fill gaps in the multimodal network, and create a culture of safety through education and awareness.

The Board of Commissioners also passed a resolution committing the Town to Vision Zero, a national initiative to eliminate all traffic fatalities and severe injuries while increasing safe, healthy, equitable mobility. 

View the Waxhaw Safety Action Plan (PDF)

Waxhaw’s Safety Vision and Goals 

Waxhaw’s vision is to provide a transportation network that prioritizes safety for every community member across all modes of travel, creates a culture of safety, and promotes the Town’s unique charm.

Programs, policies, and strategies are organized around six key goals:

• Connectivity: Prioritize safe connections to key community destinations, including schools, parks, downtown, places of employment, and businesses.
• Multimodal Design: Prioritize the design of multimodal systems to improve safety on our bicycle and pedestrian facilities.
• Vehicular Design: Prioritize the design of transportation systems to improve safety for vehicles on our roadways.
• Implementation & Funding: Prioritize efforts to implement improvements through identification of funding, alignment with existing plans and policies, and public-private partnerships.
• Community Context: Prioritize improvements in Waxhaw’s most disconnected communities.
• Safety Culture: Prioritize building awareness and educating the community about transportation safety through engagement and enforcement.

Public Engagement

The Town made a concerted effort to ensure all voices from the community were heard during the development process. It first established an advisory Safety Task Force made up of 24 Town staff, local representatives, and residents to provide input and steer decision making. The project team met with the Safety Task Force four times throughout the life of the project.

In April 2025, a public open house was held at Waxhaw Town Hall to introduce the SAP, educate the public on the Safe Systems Approach, present the findings from the State of Safety, and provide interactive opportunities for attendees to engage with the project and express safety concerns.

The project team also created a website to act as a digital hub for the project, including information about the SAP, links to documents like the State of Safety Report, and an engagement hub where people could virtually participate and provide their feedback.

Other engagement efforts included an online survey and in-person interaction at Kaleidoscope Festival in May.

What Happens Next

The Town will use the SAP to apply for federal funding from the SS4A program through the FHWA, focusing on projects that are currently unfunded.

Town administration and staff, elected officials, residents, and visitors all have a role to play to ensure the safety needs of this community are met. Through your support, the Waxhaw SAP will be successful in helping achieve the goal of safety for all.