{"id":598771,"date":"2025-11-28T07:28:20","date_gmt":"2025-11-28T07:28:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/598771\/"},"modified":"2025-11-28T07:28:20","modified_gmt":"2025-11-28T07:28:20","slug":"where-cities-are-investing-vision-zero-is-working-streetsblog-usa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/598771\/","title":{"rendered":"Where Cities are Investing, Vision Zero is Working\u00a0 \u2014 Streetsblog USA"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Some headlines suggest that Vision Zero is falling short in the U.S., but a deeper look tells a different story. Across the country \u2014 from Austin to Columbus to Orlando to Milwaukee \u2014 on-the-ground results show that wherever communities invest in <a href=\"https:\/\/visionzeronetwork.org\/fundamentals-of-the-safe-system-approach\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">meaningful Safe Systems changes<\/a>, they enjoy measurable safety gains.<\/p>\n<p>Many communities have reduced traffic deaths and severe injuries since they began implementing Vision Zero changes: Orlando reduced traffic fatalities by nearly 40 percent between 2020 and 2024. Hoboken has gone eight consecutive years without a traffic death. New York City reduced pedestrian deaths by 45 percent and overall traffic deaths by 12 percent between 2013 and 2023. And the \u201c20 Is Plenty\u201d campaign in Madison, Wisc. has helped cut traffic deaths citywide by more than half.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>In many other places, including in some Vision Zero cities, the number of people killed on the roads remains stubbornly high. This mirrors the dismal national trends that worsened during the pandemic. And it also reflects factors (mostly) outside of locals\u2019 direct control, such as the rising size and weight of vehicles and a built environment and policies that are painfully slow to modernize, especially at state and federal levels.<\/p>\n<p>As the Vision Zero Network marks its <a href=\"https:\/\/visionzeronetwork.org\/10-years-strong\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">10-year anniversary<\/a>, we\u2019ve learned that focusing only on the citywide story to measure success misses valuable lessons.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Measuring safety from the ground up<\/p>\n<p>Local data from around the country show a clear pattern: We know what works to improve safety on our streets, but we\u2019re just not doing it fully enough yet. Recent examples in Vision Zero cities include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Milwaukee<\/strong> reduced cashes by 15 percent, injury crashes by 7 percent, and \u201clife-changing injury crashes\u201d by 28 percent across the city where they invested in <a href=\"https:\/\/urbanmilwaukee.com\/2025\/09\/26\/new-speed-data-shows-dramatic-impact-of-milwaukees-traffic-calming-efforts\/?mc_cid=30ecc52f8e&amp;mc_eid=7fdd2c27ad\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Vision Zero <\/a>improvements completed in 2023. Specifics include adding a speed hump on a street and successfully reducing excessive speeding from 30 percent to 2 percent; and adding a two-way protected bike lane and traffic calming measures on another street, resulting in a reduction of speeding from 20 percent to 3 percent.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li><strong>Austin<\/strong> has reduced serious and fatal crashes by 86 percent at sites where the city invested in traffic-calmed improvements, by 15 percent on arterials where the speed limit was lowered, and by 42 percent where officials added protected intersections. Austin\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/publicinput.com\/visionzero10#investing-in-safety\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">10-Year Vision Zero Report<\/a> shares many more successes, including <a href=\"https:\/\/www.austintexas.gov\/sites\/default\/files\/files\/TPW\/VisionZero\/VZ-Analytics-Austin-Safety-Project-Performance-10.02.25.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">saving hundreds of millions of dollars annually<\/a> thanks to road safety investments.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Montgomery County (Maryland)<\/strong> launched <a href=\"https:\/\/montgomerycountymd.gov\/visionzero\/Resources\/Files\/FY24_Vision_Zero_Annual_Report.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">127 safety projects<\/a> on its High Injury Network in 2024, including new bikeways, sidewalks and pedestrian hybrid beacons and traffic signals \u2013 reducing\u00a0 serious and fatal crashes by 28 percent.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Philadelphia<\/strong> reduced <a href=\"https:\/\/storymaps.arcgis.com\/stories\/fc5cd38e377448aa8616d7d61ddd4a34\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">fatal and serious injury crashes<\/a> by 34 percent and<a href=\"https:\/\/www.phila.gov\/2023-10-10-city-of-philadelphia-releases-vision-zero-annual-report-2023\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"> the severity of injury crashes<\/a> by 20 percent in locations where they made significant safety changes, compared to High Injury Network trends. And Philadelphia\u2019s addition<a href=\"https:\/\/www.streetlightdata.com\/philadelphia-speed-camera-before-and-after\/?utm_campaign=CS_NaviRetail&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;_hsenc=p2ANqtz--SaLJdFbhZVcm8_E-EIl5jn4sbAnKdKj-sPk57J31tCgsUwfygR1NMWOmkyu5oK2VCMiG1vN-Xt_4hRLL8a8fb0HW1yGpJnWyKRJgyb3bHQp0e9ZM&amp;_hsmi=321158537&amp;utm_content=321158537&amp;utm_source=hs_email\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"> of speed safety cameras<\/a> on its most dangerous road has led to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.streetlightdata.com\/philadelphia-speed-camera-before-and-after\/?utm_campaign=CS_NaviRetail&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;_hsenc=p2ANqtz--SaLJdFbhZVcm8_E-EIl5jn4sbAnKdKj-sPk57J31tCgsUwfygR1NMWOmkyu5oK2VCMiG1vN-Xt_4hRLL8a8fb0HW1yGpJnWyKRJgyb3bHQp0e9ZM&amp;_hsmi=321158537&amp;utm_content=321158537&amp;utm_source=hs_email\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">50 percent fewer traffic deaths, 36 percent fewer crashes, and a 90 percent reduction in excessive speeding<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Columbus<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/visionzeronetwork.org\/who-owns-the-most-dangerous-roads-in-america\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">transformed a six-lane street<\/a> to a two-lane street with a protected bike lane in each direction, resulting in a 50-percent reduction in crashes and <a href=\"https:\/\/visionzeronetwork.org\/who-owns-the-most-dangerous-roads-in-america\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">89 percent-reduction in excessive speeding<\/a>.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li><strong>San Francisco<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sfmta.com\/blog\/our-speed-cameras-are-working-initial-evaluation-shows-drivers-are-slowing-down\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reduced speeding<\/a> by an average of 72 percent in locations where speed cameras were added earlier this year.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li><strong>Orlando<\/strong> cut nighttime crashes by 34 percent thanks to <a href=\"https:\/\/storymaps.arcgis.com\/stories\/a6eb04fbce584c6793346df8ce19d941?mc_cid=30ecc52f8e&amp;mc_eid=7fdd2c27ad\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">enhanced street lighting<\/a> at high-crash roadway segments, compared to a 8-percent reduction citywide.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Portland, Oregon<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.portland.gov\/transportation\/vision-zero\/news\/2023\/8\/8\/pbot-vision-zero-july-august-2023-newsletter\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reduced top-end speeding<\/a> by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.portland.gov\/transportation\/vision-zero\/news\/2023\/8\/8\/pbot-vision-zero-july-august-2023-newsletter\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">72 percent by converting some travel lanes to<\/a> center turn lanes with pedestrian islands, and by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.portland.gov\/transportation\/news\/2023\/10\/5\/pbot-begins-installing-new-safety-cameras-across-portland-milestone\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">94 percent<\/a> on four corridors after <a href=\"https:\/\/www.portland.gov\/transportation\/news\/2023\/10\/5\/pbot-begins-installing-new-safety-cameras-across-portland-milestone\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">adding speed safety cameras<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Washington, D.C.<\/strong> added new protected bike lanes and peak-hour bus lanes on <a href=\"https:\/\/before-after-evaluations.ddot.dc.gov\/pages\/cce9ddaef106451aba30de4a31207ca3\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">one corridor<\/a>, reducing roadway crashes by 32 percent and crashes involving pedestrians by 100 percent, while increasing bicycle traffic by 340 percent. On another <a href=\"https:\/\/before-after-evaluations.ddot.dc.gov\/pages\/6e35fb4e20754630943bedcdb002016e\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">corridor<\/a>, the addition of a two-way, physically separated bikeway on a wide travel lane reduced injury crashes by 60 percent and pedestrian injury crashes by 86 percent, and increased bike traffic by 183 percent.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Cleveland<\/strong> reduced average speeds by nearly 8 mph on streets where it added <a href=\"https:\/\/visionzeronetwork.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/SpeedTablePilotEvaluationReport0523-1.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">speed tables<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Even modest-seeming changes, such as this Cleveland example, matter: <a href=\"https:\/\/trl.co.uk\/uploads\/trl\/documents\/TRL421.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Research<\/a> shows that reducing average speeds as little as 1 mph is associated with a 5-percent reduction in crashes.<\/p>\n<p>What these wins tell us<\/p>\n<p>Most of the projects listed above aren\u2019t making flashy headlines. For the most part, they\u2019re unsexy, low-cost improvements \u2014 adding speed humps, lowering speed limits, improving street lighting \u2014 and they show that we know what works to improve road safety and to save lives. The challenge now is to scale up what works and to prioritize safety in design and policy decisions as the rule, not the exception.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Too often, Vision Zero progress is limited by a community taking a piecemeal approach to change, slowed further by fragmented state and local coordination and a lack of political will if any public pushback surfaces. But the lesson from hundreds of examples in communities across the country is clear: When you invest in proven Safe System solutions, your communities are safer. Now, imagine if they were to scale these investments citywide.<\/p>\n<p>Austin City Manager T.C. Broadnax sums it up well in the city\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/publicinput.com\/visionzero10#investing-in-safety\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">10-year Vision Zero report<\/a>:<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\">\n<p>The headwinds we face in getting to zero are many: an inherited built environment that historically prioritized speed over safety, uncertainty in federal policies and funding and the rising size and weight of vehicles on our roads, to name a few. Yet even amid these challenges, we have seen real, measurable progress.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\"\/><\/blockquote>\n<p>Austin\u2019s report acknowledges that its citywide Vision Zero goal is still far off but doesn\u2019t give up on the work; instead, they focus on what is working to improve safety and commit to doing more. The report highlights 29 major intersection upgrades since 2016 (when the city adopted Vision Zero) and <a href=\"https:\/\/publicinput.com\/visionzero10#investing-in-safety\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">thousands of smaller improvements<\/a> \u2014 new sidewalk connections, signal timing adjustments, and better lighting. Broadnax continues:\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThese may seem minor, but to the people who rely on them, they make a world of difference.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Don\u2019t pull back \u2014 double down on Vision Zero<\/p>\n<p>Don\u2019t let skeptics write off Vision Zero as ineffective without taking a closer look at whether and where your community is investing in meaningful change. Too many places pass a Vision Zero commitment and develop a plan without following through with action. They pretend a few years of lofty words and meager changes can reverse a century of prioritizing speed over safety. <a href=\"https:\/\/visionzeronetwork.org\/what-were-getting-wrong-about-vision-zero-lessons-for-2024\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Don\u2019t let them get away with it<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>This is not the time to retreat. It\u2019s time to double down on <a href=\"https:\/\/visionzeronetwork.org\/where-we-invest-in-vision-zero-we-make-progress\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">what\u2019s working<\/a>, learning from other cities\u2019 experiences. This also means developing policies to address the dangers of rising vehicle size and weight, and <a href=\"https:\/\/visionzeronetwork.org\/now-is-the-time-to-address-safety-on-state-owned-roads\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">pressuring state-level leaders<\/a> to get on board with today\u2019s priorities of safety over speed.<\/p>\n<p>We can learn from successful, societal shifts that many thought were impossible, such as <a href=\"https:\/\/ggwash.org\/view\/86381\/driving-is-the-new-smoking-lessons-from-americas-public-health-victory-over-tobacco\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">dramatically reducing smoking rates<\/a>, which is credited with saving more than <a href=\"https:\/\/onlineexhibits.library.yale.edu\/s\/sellingsmoke\/page\/government#:~:text=In%20the%2050%20years%20since,Reports%20of%20the%20Surgeon%20General.%22\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">8 million lives<\/a> in the U.S. in the past 50+ years.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Challenging? Yes. Achievable? Yes. Worthwhile? Undeniably.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Some headlines suggest that Vision Zero is falling short in the U.S., but a deeper look tells a&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":598772,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5311],"tags":[49,978,659],"class_list":{"0":"post-598771","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-united-states","8":"tag-united-states","9":"tag-us","10":"tag-usa"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115626148010813058","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/598771","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=598771"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/598771\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/598772"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=598771"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=598771"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=598771"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}