1 minute read
HISTORY OF VISION ZERO
by REA site
Vision Zero started in Sweden in 1997 and has proved successful across Europe. It started as a road policy that the Swedish parliament adopted believing that loss of life is an unacceptable price to pay for mobility. The system-based approach works to enhance safety by assessing roadway system designs rather than the fault of drivers. By addressing multiple influences of a transportation system such as policy, infrastructure
1 New York City Vision Zero Website, July 2020 design, vehicle technology, behavior modification through education, and enforcement, Vision Zero has been a successful strategy for working towards the elimination of deaths and serious injuries caused by vehicles. Sweden has one of the lowest annual rates of road deaths in the world, and fatalities involving pedestrians has fallen nearly 50 percent.
Advertisement
Vision Zero took hold in the US around 2013 when the approach of Sweden and Europe were gaining traction and being discussed as options to reduce fatalities. New York City was one of the first US
City’s to implement an action plan under new Mayor Bill de Blaiso in January 2014.1 Soon after, many other large US cities were starting to discuss how to address traffic crashes and fatalities. In 2015, the Vision Zero Network was formed. The nonprofit campaign is a partnership network that brings together many different entities to share strategies, enforcement, policy, and best practices to make Vision Zero a reality. In early 2016, the Vision Zero Focus Cities program was launched by the Vision Zero Network to foster collaboration between the 10 early-adopter cities. This collaboration would lead to the sharing of data, ideas, leadership development that could be shared more broadly with communities across the US.
What is Vision Zero?
Since its formation, the Vision Zero Network continues to grow with additional funding support from various non-profits to support additional training, research, resources such as case studies, webinairs, and a resource library. The Vision Zero Network also has a recognition program for communities to be recognized as “Vision Zero Community”2.
For more information about Vision Zero Network, please click here.
