While every city is unique in so many ways, when it comes to traffic safety, communities as diverse as Boston, Fort Lauderdale and Los Angeles actually have a lot in common.
In fact, in the first nine months of the Vision Zero Network, as we’ve worked with people from dozens of cities as diverse as Anchorage, Bethlehem, and Chicago, we’ve heard an impressively common refrain of questions, hopes, and challenges.
What are the most effective ways to manage speed? And how do we win political support to put those strategies into practice?
Which enforcement strategies make the most difference in deterring severe crashes?
How do we engage community members in a genuine way to build public buy-in for Vision Zero?
The Vision Zero Network was created to help communities answer these — and so many more — questions and help them achieve their goal of safe mobility for all road users. Where will we find the best answers? In the cities that are innovating, testing, and pushing the boundaries of business as usual to chart a successful course toward Vision Zero.
So we are pleased to announce that in March we will launch a series of Vision Zero for Cities Case Studies to highlight the most promising strategies being developed in American communities. Each will explore a key Vision Zero issue area and share relevant experiences from specific cities.
The goal is to provide easily accessible online resources that are both practical and inspiring, and as close to real-time as possible. We hope these case studies will be useful to a range of audiences, from community advocates to elected leaders to transportation planners to police officers.
Some of the topics we plan to explore include:
Recommended first steps for a community embarking on Vision Zero
Key elements of a strong Vision Zero Action Plan
Examples of and strategies for effective multi-departmental collaboration
Using data to assess historic trends and predict problem areas
Prioritizing equitable police enforcement as part of Vision Zero
Considering the needs of transient populations within Vision Zero
To ensure that we are capturing the most significant examples in the field, we encourage you to share your suggestions. What important topic areas would help you succeed in your work? And is your city leading the way in a specific area? Please contact us at leah@visionzeronetwork.org with your input.