VISION ZERO: A CENTRAL INDIANA RESOURCE TOOLKIT TO GUIDE SAFETY FOR ALL MODES

Purpose Of The Indianapolis Mpo Vision

Zero Resource Toolkit

In June 2017, in conjunction with the Federal Highway Administration and other Cities, the Indianapolis MPO held a Vision Zero Peer Exchange. The purpose of this was to provide more training to address Vision Zero in a community through different mechanisms, foster exchange of information, focus on barriers, obstacles, and successes, identify opportunities to build or expand programs and create resources and tools for others interested in Vision Zero. Representatives from many different communities in a range of sizes, geographies, and locations attended. Topics discussed included Partnerships and Collaborations; Baseline Data and Tracking; Communication and Outreach; and Moving from Plan to Progress.

Out of that Peer Exchange, the Indianapolis Metropolitan Organization determined to help the communities in their service

1 Vision Zero Network Website Https://visionzeronetwork.org area address Vision Zero, the most thoughtful and organized way would be to create the Vision Zero Resource Toolkit. The Indianapolis MPO Vision Zero Resource Toolkit provides a widerange of resources that a community can use to implement aspects of Vision Zero in their community with the goal of reducing the number of deaths and serious injury to zero. Elements in the Resource Toolkit included partners in Central Indiana to collaborate with, education materials to educate the elected official, professional staff, and the public about the importance of Vision Zero and how to reduce the number of deaths and serious injuries down to zero, data to collect to evaluate areas in the community that might be unsafe for pedestrians and cyclists, design solutions to address roadways, signage, and lighting, implementation and enforcement actions, and evaluation standards to benchmark a community’s progress.

How To Use The Indianapolis Mpo Vision Zero Resource Toolkit

There are multiple ways to address the goals of Vision Zero in a community. Many communities have chosen to approach Vision Zero as a tactical approach to road design to reduce traffic related deaths and serious injuries. While this tactical approach involves physical design solutions, other communities, have focused on how policy, education, and enforcement has played a role in affecting behavior, helped motorists understand a change in rules, or allow a law to become more effective because resources are available for enforcement. In each approach, that jurisdiction could see measure the impact of their approach. Which is why there is not one approach that can be taken to reduce traffic deaths and serious injuries.

Instead each community has to assess its overall transportation system and determine whether a systematic, systemic, and site specific approach is needed. Once that is determined, then a series of tools and tactics are available to accomplish those goals. This is the purpose for the creation of the Indianapolis MPO Vision Zero Resource Toolkit.

This Resource Toolkit is the first of its kind in the United States where multiple resources are located together for elected officials, professional staff, community advocates, the general public, and media can go to find a wide range of information about Vision Zero. The Indianapolis MPO has created a series of resources that provides education about Vision Zero, highlights common design and policy strategies, and offers other valuable information such as data collection, benchmark, partnership, communication and outreach strategies and links to other resources.

This resource is aimed to direct the user through a series of resources ranging in variety of topics. Each of these sections contain information for anyone looking for solutions to reoccurring transportation problems. These documents will house information relating to design and policy strategies to increase road safety for all mode users.

Purpose of Vision Zero and Where to Start: These sections gives a user an overview of the Indianapolis MPO Vision Zero Resource Toolkit and where to start based on the approach and issues to be addressed.

The History and Importance of Vision Zero: This resource gives a broad overview of the history of Vision Zero across the world, a typical perspective of a user of each mode, and the importance of implementing Vision Zero in Central Indiana.

Data Collection and Benchmarks: This resource examines traffic related data at the national, state, and local levels to express the importance of roadway and other transportation improvements. Sources are provided for where to go to collect and access data, how to interpret, and use that data.

Communications: How to communicate the Vision Zero goals of a community goals of is as important as the various strategies themselves. This resource focuses on the tools, templates, techniques, message creation, and branding materials needed to implement Vision Zero in the community.

Policy Strategies: Sometimes design countermeasures alone do not reduce fatalities and injuries, at times, education or changes in policy are needed. This resource focuses on the legislative, educational, policy, and enforcement strategies a community could deploy with design strategies or alone to try and change behavior within their community.

Design Strategies: This resource addresses specific countermeasures that can be implemented that would reduce the incidence of crashes within a community. This resource identifies common transportation issues and problems and provides multiple options to address those issues through design-based solutions.

Resources: This resource contains links to external sources for more specific information on Vision Zero related sources, action plans from across the country, road safety information, public health information, and more.