The city of Lancaster was honored recently by the American Public Works Association (A.P.W.A.), Southern California Chapter, with two B.E.S.T. Project of the Year awards. A.P.W.A. bestows these honors to agencies that are “Building Excellence, Shaping Tomorrow” in the public works industry.
“It’s always an honor to be recognized by the A.P.W.A.,” said Lancaster Mayor R. Rex Parris, “but more importantly, it’s an honor to know that we’ve succeeded in making our city healthier, safer, and more accessible for all residents and modes of transport.”
The first of the city’s B.E.S.T. Project awards was earned for the renovation of the 15th Street East and West intersections along Lancaster Boulevard. These locations were previously ranked as two of the city’s highest incident intersections. This project was the first time city leaders deployed multiple countermeasures like roundabouts and road diets together.
The safe transportation of commuters through busy urban routes was achieved by applying the adopted Master Plan of Complete Streets to reduce speeds and travel time synergistically. The project received the B.E.S.T. Transportation Project of the Year award for the boldness of its design and successful deployment of several safety enhancements.
The city received its second B.E.S.T. award for its See and Be Seen Bicycle & Pedestrian Safety Education campaign. To address high bicycle and pedestrian collisions in the heart of the city, Lancaster got creative and developed artistic signal cabinet wraps focused on the safety of cyclists and pedestrians, as well as Safe Routes to School education.
Funded by the California Office of Traffic Safety, what started with a single corridor concept grew into a multifaceted campaign with 35 wrapped cabinets throughout the city, school outreach education, and a social media campaign. See and Be Seen is the first cabinet wrap program in the nation to integrate traffic safety education with the artistic wrapping of signal cabinets.
Funding for the bicycle and pedestrian safety education program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
“I look forward to seeing how our Public Works team continues to improve not only infrastructure but our residents’ quality of life in the years to come,” Parris added.
Learn more about the See and Be Seen campaign by calling the Lancaster Development Services Department at (661) 723-6047, or visit gosafelyca.org.
