Vision Zero Network is celebrating its 10-year anniversary this year. Over the next few months, we will be marking this milestone by reflecting on a decade of change, thanks to the work of so many of you, and looking ahead to how we can help accelerate progress in the years ahead. Look out for events and thought pieces from the Vision Zero Network team and a wide range of changemakers advancing Vision Zero work on the ground. We’ll highlight what these influencers consider the most meaningful successes, where they look for inspiring models of change and how they recommend we move forward.
From my perspective, it’s been a wild ride since launching Vision Zero Network 10 years ago. I had an idea that some thought was crazy, a load of optimism and a generous grant from the Kaiser Permanente National Community Benefit Fund (thank you!). I was buoyed by my experience leading the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, a 10,000-member group that successfully advocated for a record-number addition of bike lanes, bike parking, pro-bike policies and, over time, a massive growth in the number and diversity of people biking for everyday transportation.
It was progress, but we still seemed to be merely working in the margins, squeezing in bike lanes and parklets where we could. And we were still fighting battle after battle that irrationally pitted “bicyclists and pedestrians” against “drivers.” Why weren’t leaders making decisions based on the true safety and accessibility needs of people getting around our city? Shouldn’t that be the primary goal of transportation projects, funding and departments? There seemed to be a disconnect – not only in San Francisco, of course, but across the country.
We needed a bolder, more compelling goal. And it seemed simple: the goal of transportation work should be safe mobility for everyone. It didn’t matter if you were driving a car or walking or riding a motorcycle – we all deserve to be safe moving around. And that goal is achievable – depending on how we prioritize decisionmaking, policies and funding.
Photo Credit: Walk SF
I started Vision Zero Network, (after confirming with some wonderful people in Sweden that it was O.K. to follow their lead and use the phrase Vision Zero), to build momentum for this goal. The idea was that change would be most effective led at the local level, so we would build a network, literally, of communities that could support each other in this shift in thinking and action.
At that time, a few cities made a big, bold Vision Zero pronouncement, starting with advocates and local electeds in NYC in 2014, then San Francisco soon after. Would other local leaders be brave enough to follow suit? Could this only fly in some far away Northern European country? Was this an overly optimistic idea?
Fast forward to today and we know that, indeed, hundreds of communities – their elected leaders, transportation professionals, advocates and everyday residents – are indeed stepping up to set that (not so simple!) goal: safe mobility for all. They recognize that our transportation systems should be designed and managed with safety as the highest priority.
There has been undeniable progress thanks to the hard work and the leadership of those brave enough to challenge the status quo – changing policies and streetscapes for the sake of safe mobility. After all, it is not acceptable that an estimated 115 people are killed in preventable deaths every day in this country — the equivalent of a mid-sized commercial jet crashing daily.
In part thanks to the vision of streets and communities for everyone and the challenge posed by the question “If zero is not the goal, then who is it acceptable to lose in traffic crashes?” we are making progress. While it’s been slower and, oftentimes, less clearly visible than we want, we are making progress.
I feel encouraged by cities such as Boulder, Colorado and Madison, Wisconsin lowering speed limits to 20mph because those cities’ leaders recognize that safe travel is more important than speedy travel (especially when the difference is a mere minutes or seconds of travel time). And I feel encouraged by cities such as San Francisco cutting speeding by 72% in its first few months of piloting speed safety cameras.
Photo Credit: San Francisco Bicycle Coalition
I feel encouraged by cities such as Detroit, Michigan and Alexandria, Virginia using proven traffic calming measures, such as speed humps and daylighting intersections to purposely prod lower, safer vehicle speeds.
Of course, there are still (so many!) barriers to Vision Zero progress – some anticipated and others surprising. But I still feel encouraged because, over the past 10 years, we, together, have reduced some of those barriers – read more in our Top 10 Signs of Vision Zero Progress in the Past Decade list.
The biggest barrier we’ve busted through is the most important one and the one that gives me the greatest hope. Across the country, no longer are we laughed out of the room by raising the idea that zero should be our goal for traffic deaths and severe injuries. Today, in so many communities, the questions are How? and Who should do what? (or Who should stop doing what?, but more on that later).
For those who still get caught up in the question of Is this really possible?, I’ll share this thought that inspires me. It’s from Victor Lund, a traffic safety engineer for more than 18 years in St. Louis County, Minnesota:
“I know it can be overwhelming to think about achieving the goal of Vision Zero at the national, state or even county level. However, I remain committed to the belief that Vision Zero is certainly attainable because we can build towards that goal one intersection and road segment at a time. Remember, success is contagious.”
Thanks to Victor and the growing number of engineers, planners, public health professionals, advocates, elected officials, law enforcement and community members who are re-setting expectations and changing streets and policies and hearts and minds every day around the country. Vision Zero Network looks forward to the next 10 years of progress with you all.