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The Acadiana Planning Commission (APC) is the metropolitan planning organization (MPO) covering the Lafayette, Louisiana urbanized area. Although Lafayette proper is highly urban, the MPO in total covers a seven-parish area in southern Louisiana that also includes low density rural communities. The number and diversity of local partnerships that comprise APC’s stakeholder base represent a common challenge for transportation agencies as they collect safety-related data and make data-driven decisions.
As part of Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)-sponsored data integration and planning projects in Louisiana, APC and the State Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) created a joint data governance group. From this initial effort, APC developed partnerships and processes that help the region manage the data necessary to support APC’s roadway safety goals. The core lesson of APC’s success has been its leadership in bringing local agencies into the regional data governance group. APC forged the inter-agency and inter-departmental partnerships that are a fundamental feature of their data governance programs. The result is better quality safety data tailored to fit the analytic tools and methods APC and DOTD use. As the region’s highway safety lead agency, APC uses the improved data to support comprehensive local road safety planning and efficient project development. The regional data governance benefited State-level partners like DOTD and the Center for Analytics and Research in Transportation Safety (CARTS) at Louisiana State University. Participating in regional data governance gives the State agencies a venue for communicating standards, providing technical assistance, and collecting safety-related data. State practitioners also gain insights into local road safety issues. This regional approach to data collection and maintenance in Acadiana will serve as an example for the rest of the State as Louisiana promotes shared data governance processes and a unified transportation safety mission.