What is Vision Zero?

Across the globe, Vision Zero is saving and protecting lives. Vision Zero started in Sweden in 1997. It's a strategy to eliminate all traffic-related deaths and severe injuries, while increasing safety, health and mobility for all. Vision Zero focuses on how people naturally behave. People make mistakes but mistakes should not be fatal.

Vision Zero in Emerald Valley

Over the past ten years our city has seen explosive population growth, adding close to 200,000 more drivers, pedestrians and cyclists to our streets, paths and intersections. Emerald Valley has responded by creating a variety of safe ways for people to move around the city and connect with each other - we've upgraded intersections, added more bike lanes and built additional sidewalks - as we continue to work towards the best possible transportation and pedestrian safety systems for our growing city.

In 2017, drivers in Emerald Valley logged more than 23 million miles on our streets, up nearly a million miles from the year before. While the number of crashes in our city actually decreased by 4% compared to 2016, the number of fatalities from those crashes increased by 35% in 2017.

Crashes and fatalities not only take a toll on human life, but also on the city's capital - affecting loved ones, health care facilities, businesses and many other areas of our community.

That's why Emerald Valley is renewing its commitment to safer streets in 2018 with the creation of Vision Zero, an action plan designed to reduce crashes and eliminate traffic-related deaths and severe injuries by 2030. Why? Because even one traffic-related death is too many.

Vision Zero Commitment

As a community, it's our responsibility to eliminate traffic deaths and serious injuries for all who share Emerald Valley streets by 2030.

Vision Zero Guiding Principles

The following principles recognize this belief and will guide the actions and performance measures of Emerald Valley's Vision Zero Action Plan.

1. Traffic deaths and severe injuries are preventable and unacceptable.
2. Protecting human lives takes priority over all other objectives of the road system.
3. The transportation system should be designed so mistakes are not fatal.
4. Solutions must be collaborative, equitable and data-driven.
5. Safety on our streets is everyone's responsibility.
6. Our community is accountable for implementing the Vision Zero Action Plan, measuring performance and responding accordingly.