KSHB 41 reporter Isabella Ledonne reports on stories in Overland Park, Johnson County and topics about government accountability. Share your story idea with Isabella.
—
Overland Park, Kansas, is launching a program to make neighborhood streets safer by compiling traffic data from neighbors.
The Safe Streets Plan is asking neighbors for their feedback and input on traffic concerns in their area.
Neighborhoods like 99th Terrace and Bond Street could be a target for the program. Linda Rodriguez explained drivers don't always follow the street stop signs.
"They (drivers) just ignore it and go right through it," Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez walks her dog down the street near the three-way intersection and has seen some close calls. She explained that she also sees a lot of speeding throughout Overland Park.
"I see people going (so fast) and what for? They've gained three minutes," Rodriguez said.
Overland Park's director of public works explained the city wants to hear from neighbors like Rodriguez.
"What we really want to do is eliminate the serious injuries and fatality crashes in the city," Lorraine Basalo said. "Rather than waiting for this to be a big problem, it's really a proactive way of trying to understand how we can improve safety for all our roadway users."
According to data from the Mid-America Regional Council (MARC), Overland Park saw 153 serious crashes from 2022 to 2024. Of those crashes, 20 were fatal and 26 of the crashes involved bicyclists or pedestrians.
"There are different ways that we can try to approach how we can try to alleviate that," Basalo said.
The first step is asking neighbors what they think will make their streets safer through a public comment survey and mapping activity for residents to provide input. Overland Park will then use the data to come up with a plan of project actions for the city.
"It could be something small, a quick build or low cost project," Basalo said. "It could be a strategy, it could be policy updates and recommendations. It can also be some capital improvement investments that would improve safety."
A common theme that comes up among neighbors is speed, especially in areas that cut through busy streets.
"We've noticed that there are people that drive up and down quickly, too quickly," neighbor Mary Beth Strange said. "People are going way too fast for the area, and we never let our grandkids play out in front because it's not safe."
Neighbors can share their comments with the city until April 30. Overland Park is expected to have a plan in place by 2027.
—
