Bloomington SS4A Action Plan
Bloomington, IN
Project Summary
Toole Design developed a Safety Action Plan for the City of Bloomington, Indiana, that follows Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) guidelines and will be used to apply for SS4A Implementation Funding. Our work included a robust safety analysis, equity analysis, creation of a High Injury Network, and development of project selection and strategy.
The scope of the equity analysis and public engagement efforts stand out in this project, as the City is intently focused on ensuring that all community members are heard and valued, especially those in underserviced areas and those who do not normally engage with City projects. To maximize the impact of our engagement efforts, our team proposed leading a weeklong Safety Week to bring stakeholders together, gather community input, and build momentum for a more positive safety culture.
Expertise Applied
Bloomington Safety Week
In April 2024, we led Bloomington Safety Week, which was an all-out engagement blitz using a variety of methods to reach a variety of people, including young people, renters, and low- and middle-income people. We engaged with over 2,000 community members of various ages, ethnicities, and backgrounds through pop-up events, meetings with local stakeholders, public meetings, and creative activities. We designed activities using hands-on materials that would attract people’s attention, be durable in the rainy April weather, and be reusable for future engagement events.
Pop-up events in popular spots around town helped us gather quick, high-level input from key demographic areas.
- We scheduled 13 pop-up events at bus stops, grocery stores, university buildings, coffee shops, the public library, and the local LGBTQ+ bar.
- We used one engagement activity with the survey question, “What makes you feel unsafe when using Bloomington’s streets?” Participants picked three pom-pom balls and placed them in the jars that reflected their concerns, such as “people driving too fast,” negative interactions with drivers,” or “poorly maintained infrastructure.”
- Each participant only spent a minute or two on the activity — and we gave them snacks!
- We got approximately 750 responses.
Evening events were an opportunity for a deeper dive with community members. These events were advertised via social media and flyers, but the idea was to hold them at fun locations where people might just happen to be.
- We held three evening events — one with a taco truck, one at an ice cream shop, and one at a local cidery.
- The engagement activities included the pom-pom question from the pop-ups as well as other activities that took a bit more time and provided more in-depth input.
- Activities involved fun materials such as stickers, Lego pieces, and a “transportation safety quilt.”
School outreach events were designed to help make transportation safety part of Bloomington culture from a young age — and to make learning about transportation fun!
- We visited two elementary schools, delivering an interactive presentation in eight classrooms, reaching a total of 150 students.
- We also visited a middle school lunchroom, where 200 students participated in the pom-pom activity.
A combined advisory committee meeting brought together members of various City committees. This allowed for efficiency and conversation across related interests.
- Attendees represented committees related to traffic, public transportation, parking, the environment, accessibility, sustainability, and public safety.
- The project team gave an overview of Safety Week events and reviewed the High Injury Network.
- Discussion topics included the Vision Zero timeline, reporting of crashes and near-misses, addressing speed along the High Injury Network, and strategies for achieving culture change.
Ultimately, safety week gave us the confidence to explore new engagement methods and be more creative!Karina PazosLong Range Planner, City of Bloomington
Safety Week received positive feedback from City staff and Bloomington residents. By spending a dedicated week engaging in fun and intentional ways throughout town, we efficiently and thoroughly gathered input from a wide variety of stakeholders. That input was crucial in crafting the resulting Safety Action Plan, which was unanimously approved in December 2024. In January 2025, the project was awarded the Communicating Concepts to the Public award from the Transportation Research Board.
Through this project, we learned that the people of Bloomington, Indiana, care deeply about having safe ways to move around their city. We also learned never to underestimate the power of ice cream and tacos!