What is VZ?
What is a Safe System Approach?
When did Atlanta commit to Vision Zero?
Has Vision Zero been successful elsewhere?
Find out more below!
Vision Zero is an international campaign to end traffic deaths and serious injuries.
Instead of focusing on eliminating all crashes, it focuses on designing transportation systems and developing policies that will prevent mistakes that lead to severe injuries or deaths.
What is Vision Zero?
How is Vision Zero Different from Traditional Engineering Practices?
What are some ways that the City of Atlanta can enhance safety?
The Safe System Approach
The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) provides guidance on how to achieve the goals of Vision Zero; chief among these is implementing a Safe System Approach. A Safe System is based on six guiding principles:
Deaths and serious injuries are unacceptable
Responsibility is shared
Humans make mistakes
Safety is proactive
Humans are vulnerable
Redundancy is critical
How is a Vision Zero Action Plan Created?
Where is Atlanta in the Process?
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The City Council or County Board passes a resolution adopting a Vision Zero Policy.
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Transportation, traffic safety, and other public officials form a Vision Zero Working Group (VZWG).
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The City or County adopts the Safe System Approach and safety culture.
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The VZWG meets with community leaders and stakeholders, getting them engaged, involved, and committed to the process.
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The VZWG reviews existing plans and policies related to the transportation network, as well as other relevant documents addressing issues such as equity, housing, land use, and public health.
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The VZWG performs a detailed analysis of crash data to identify trends and patterns.
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The City or County hosts an open-house workshop, inviting stakeholders to learn more about Vision Zero principles and the specific on-the-ground conditions informing the process. This also allows stakeholders to provide feedback, shape goals, and learn how to get more involved.
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The VZWG identifies emphasis areas where Vision Zero efforts will be focused.
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The City or County finalizes the Action Plan.
Creating and implementing a Vision Zero Action Plan is a multi-step process, which the City of Atlanta has already begun. FHWA recommends that any Vision Zero effort include these actions.
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The City adopted its Vision Zero Ordinance in April 2020! You can access it here.
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The city's Vision Zero Ordinance recommended the creation of a Vision Zero Task Force.
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The Ordinance also adopted the Vision Zero safety framework.
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The first Vision Zero Task Force meeting kicked off in December 2022! The group will meet throughout the engagement process.
STAY TUNED for more updates!
Vision Zero Success Stories
Sweden adopted the first Vision Zero plan in 1997. Since then they have cut traffic deaths from 541 people, to 192 people in 2021. By contrast, more people were killed in traffic crashes in the United States in 2021 (42,915) than in 1997 (42,013). In the last several years, U.S. cities have shown growing interest in adopting Vision Zero policies. Vision Zero policies have seen traffic fatalities and serious injuries fall dramatically in countries around the world. Major cities such as Oslo and Helsinki report zero pedestrian and cyclist deaths in recent years, and fatal car crashes are rare. Most major US cities have adopting Vision Zero policies in recent years.
Click here to see what cities are working on a Vision Zero Plan!
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Hoboken, New Jersey, a city of 60,000 residents, has not had a traffic death in four years. Its Vision Zero approach makes heavy use of low-cost intersection designs that improve visibility, a process they call “daylighting.” Read more here.
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Jersey City, with a population of nearly 300,000 residents, has had 5 fatalities on state-owned roads in 2022 and none on other roads. They have enthusiastically pursued adding bike lanes and traffic calming measures such as road diets. Read more here.
