Vision Zero

In December 2017, Mayor Buddy Dyer signed a resolution to adopt a Vision Zero Action Plan, signifying the City’s public commitment to Vision Zero. The Vision Zero Orlando Action Plan will outline strategies to reduce traffic crashes and provide the public with current information on the progress of the program’s goals.

 To date, our goals for this program are:

1. Adopt a safe systems approach in roadway design, operations, and maintenance;
2. Increase public understanding of the leading causes of crashes resulting in serious injury or fatalities;
3. Support law enforcement efforts to eliminate behaviors leading to serious injury and fatal crashes;
4. Demonstrate continuous progress toward Vision Zero;
5. Improve access and travel time to Level 1 Trauma Center and other hospitals; and
6. Prioritize investments and programs in communities including underserved populations and higher numbers of vulnerable road users.

First implemented in Sweden in the 1990s, Vision Zero consists of a growing network of Vision Zero Cities which share a commitment to increase transportation safety, prioritizing equity and community engagement. Nationwide, the collaborative campaign addresses the crisis of 40,000 traffic deaths and millions of injuries a year.

Vision Zero is a significant departure from the status quo in two major ways:

• Vision Zero recognizes that people will sometimes make mistakes, so the road systems and related policies should be designed to ensure those inevitable mistakes do not result in severe injuries or fatalities;
• Vision Zero is a multidisciplinary approach, bringing together diverse and necessary stakeholders to address this complex problem.

New York City est. 2014

As one of the nation’s most walkable cities, the New York City Vision Zero Action Plan placed a top priority on designing safer streets. Between 2013 and 2017, the number of pedestrian fatalities has dropped by 45%. Throughout 2016 and 2017, the city saw another 37% drop in pedestrian fatalities.

The Vision Zero NYC program continues to make a difference in saving lives through the implementation of new laws and regulations that seek to change driver behavior. Including: 

• Lowering of speed limits
• Deployment of innovative traffic safety devices
• Increased penalties for egregious traffic violations among all road users including pedestrians, bikers, drivers.

San Francisco est. 2014

The City of San Francisco was able to determine that 70% of all severe and fatal traffic injuries occurred on just 12% of their streets. They also discovered that over half of the fatalities were due to only two factors:

• A failure to yield at a crosswalk
• Unsafe speeds

Through infrastructure improvements, policy changes, and educational programs, San Francisco saw the fewest number of traffic deaths in recorded history, dropping from 30 in 2016 to 20 in 2017, proving that they are well on their way on the road to zero.

City of Portland, Oregon est. 2015

The City of Portland identified that approximately 57% of all traffic-related fatalities occurred at 30 intersections and 30 streets, representing just 8% of their roadway network. Additionally, most of the City’s traffic deaths happened within the 35 – 45 mph speed range. To relieve these issues, they took the following approach:

• Rethink how speed is determined
• Identify and install specific safety features for each of the identified speeds
• Installing safety cameras on high-speed corridors

Portland has successfully lowered speed limits on eight streets since August 2017, with four more up for approval.