The El Paso Metropolitan Planning Organization is shifting from binders to the street, moving its regional safety work into the real world by launching a new Vision Zero committee to put the Borderplex Safe Mobility Plan into action. The committee is charged with coordinating agencies and steering projects that aim to eliminate fatal and serious-injury crashes in El Paso County and neighboring portions of Doña Ana and Otero counties. Local leaders say the move is about turning months of traffic studies into short-term engineering fixes and funding-ready projects that protect people walking, biking, and riding transit.
Vision Zero committee steps off the drawing board
The Vision Zero committee is set up to support coordination across agencies, track progress on plan strategies, provide input on safety studies and project development, and advise the MPO on priority safety projects, as reported by KTSM. Membership is intentionally broad: transportation agencies, local governments, law enforcement and emergency response, public health and advocacy organizations, transit authorities, and freight and logistics partners are all expected at the table. Officials say the committee is meant to give residents and stakeholder groups a direct role in how safety projects are ranked and delivered.
Plan zeroes in on high-risk corridors and quick wins
The Borderplex Safe Mobility Plan, adopted by the EPMPO Policy Board on Nov. 21, identifies high-risk corridors and recommends targeted engineering, education, enforcement, and equity-focused projects across El Paso County and parts of Doña Ana and Otero counties, according to KVIA. The plan’s website highlights data showing roughly 213 people were seriously injured or killed in the region in 2023 and about 23,500 total crashes, figures that shaped its priorities. Those findings translate into a list of near-term “quick-wins” such as crosswalk upgrades, new bike lanes, and corridor studies designed to be shovel-ready for funding, as outlined by the Borderplex Safe Mobility Plan.
Leaders press for practical moves, not just promises
El Paso County Commissioner Iliana Holguín said, “Too many families have lost loved ones to preventable crashes,” and framed the committee as a push toward practical safety improvements rather than more talk. EPMPO Executive Director Eduardo Calvo said the plan gives the region “a clear direction and shared responsibility.” Advocates, including Scott Whit,e say the committee will give residents a voice and help ensure implementation of the BSMP, while State Sen. César Blanco called the launch a “significant moment” that brings agencies, communities, and resources together to deliver real results, as reported by KTSM.
Funding, projects, and what comes next
With policy-board adoption in place, EPMPO says it is moving into an implementation phase where the Vision Zero committee will guide long-term progress, evaluate performance measures, and help municipalities identify and secure funding for priority projects, as reported by KVIA. That work includes corridor studies, quick-build safety projects, and education campaigns intended to close gaps in bicycle, pedestrian, and transit networks. Committee oversight is being pitched as a way to move projects faster from concept to construction while tracking measurable safety outcomes…