Notations On Our World (Special Thursday Edition): On Traffic Safety & @VisionZero

 As a follow up to our Tuesday Edition of Notations, we hereby presented the following courtesy of the Vision Zero Network as they are the forefront of transforming traffic Safety and their methodology is being increasingly adopted by cities throughout the United States: 

Raising the Notch on Vision Zero: Check out San Francisco’s Updated Action Strategy San Francisco was an early adopter of Vision Zero, committing in 2014 to eliminating traffic deaths by 2024. Five years in, the city has refreshed its vision....and some of it might surprise you. Read our seven takeaways from San Francisco’s new Vision Zero Action Strategy in our latest blog post.

Upcoming Vision Zero Network Webinar! Thursday, March 21 (9:30am PST/12:30pm EST) Creating and Sustaining a Successful Vision Zero Task Force A community’s Vision Zero Task Force is the coordinating hub of Vision Zero planning and action to eliminate traffic fatalities and serious injuries. Task forces are crucial to building and sustaining leadership, collaboration and accountability. Who should be involved in the task force? What makes a task force effective? How can your task force pool resources, create specialized working groups and ensure accountability? Join the Vision Zero Network and the New York City Vision Zero Task Force for a one-hour webinar on creating an effective task force and sustaining progress. NYC's award-winning Vision Zero Task Force continues to be a model of multi-sector agency partnership succeeding in reducing traffic fatalities each consecutive year since Vision Zero was enacted in 2014. Register here.

Webinar Recap: Rethinking Speed Management for Safety A disturbing increase in the number of people killed while walking, especially due to drivers moving at unsafe speeds, should be shaking us out of our complacency across the nation. Our latest webinar with the Governors Highway Safety Association - which has been delivering valuable reports on traffic safety (read January’s Speeding Away from Zero and last week’s Pedestrian Traffic Fatalities by State) - focuses on the need for greater action at the federal, state and local levels to update safety policies, funding programs and action plans to address speed, given that one-third of traffic fatalities involve speeding. This webinar is a must-watch for advocates, public sector staff and professionals seeking guidance to address the toll of unsafe speeds in our communities. Watch the webinar and read more about the urgency of managing speed in our recent blog posts and on our website.

With Pedestrian Fatalities on the Rise, Solutions Found in Vision Zero Pedestrian fatalities in the U.S. might be on course to reach a 30-year high, according to a new report by the Governors Highway Safety Association, Pedestrian Traffic Fatalities by State. The news is shocking given the multitude of proven countermeasures - including Complete Streets, reduced speeds and more sidewalks - that are known to provide safety for those walking, as well as for those biking, driving and taking transit. Leaders within local, state and federal government must address this escalating crisis with more attention and resources. Despite the alarming national rise, research shows that pedestrian fatalities decreased in nine of the 10 largest cities in the U.S. Of those nine, six are Vision Zero cities. Coincidence? We don’t think so. Read more in our blog post.

UN Launches Road Safety Strategy  The United Nations launched a new global initiative called the Road Safety Strategy to enhance the safety of U.N. personnel around the world. Road crashes are a leading cause of death and serious injury to United Nations personnel. The toll is significant: there were over 600 traffic fatalities and injuries of U.N. personnel from road crashes between 2013 and 2017. The Vision Zero Network was in New York City for the launch of the initiative, during which the NYC Vision Zero Task Force received the Vision Zero for Youth Leadership award. Their impressive work in reducing traffic fatalities to their lowest since 1910 with five consecutive years of declining fatalities since Vision Zero was implemented in 2014 and for increasing safety around schools with its speed camera program was recognized. Read more here.

Resources Worth Sharing (and re-sharing!) Some resources are indispensable to advocacy work for safer streets for all road users. Smart Growth America’s Dangerous by Design 2019 report is on that list. The report ranks the U.S. most dangerous metro areas and states for walking. Unfortunately, Florida tops the list in both categories which makes it even more important that Florida cities such as West Palm Beach (newest Florida addition), Orlando and Ft. Lauderdale along with Hillsborough County have committed to Vision Zero. The League of American Bicyclists’ latest Benchmarking Report on Bicycling and Walking notes the “public health crisis” created by unsafe biking and walking conditions. The report highlights these modes of travel as antidotes to health ailments caused or exacerbated by physical inactivity. It also calls on greater state and federal leadership in creating safe walking and biking environments. ICYMI, the Institute of Transportation Engineers Speed Management for Safety Community Portal and Listserv is a key way to engage with transportation professionals on questions or guidance. The latest topic: Examples of countermeasures and other road geometries being installed in communities to reduce higher than desirable travel speeds. You don’t need to be a member of ITE to post, so check it out!

Upcoming Events National League of Cities Congressional City Conference March 10-13, 2019 in Washington, DC City officials will hear directly from policymakers and thought leaders about the issues important to cities. Vision Zero Network Deputy Director Veronica Vanterpool will join a session on “Adopting Safety and Equity along with New Transportation Technology.” Washington Region Vision Zero Summit March 14, 2019 in Washington, DC The Summit will be a forum for policymakers, decision makers, advocates, experts, and implementers to explore systemic ways to end traffic fatalities. Vision Zero Network webinar: Creating and Sustaining a Successful Vision Zero Task Force March 21, 2019 (9:30 am PST/12:30 pm EST)  Hear from the New York City Vision Zero Task Force on creating an effective task force and sustaining progress. Register here. GHSA and IIHS Speeding Forum April 15-16, 2019 in Ruckersville, VA The Governors Highway Safety Association is partnering with the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety to illuminate the issue of speeding and develop strategies to address this challenge. Vision Zero Network Deputy Director Veronica Vanterpool will join a panel. Register here. Safe Systems Summit: Redefining Transportation Safety April 23-24, 2019 in Durham, NC Learn about the  Safe Systems approach and what it means for states, communities and individuals. Vision Zero Network Executive Director Leah Shahum will join a panel to discuss "Systems 101: Essentials of Safe Systems and systems thinking." Lifesavers Conference March 31-April 2, 2019 in Louisville, Kentucky The Lifesavers Conference brings together the traffic safety and public health community to share best practices, research and policy initiatives that are proven to work. Vision Zero Network Deputy Director Veronica Vanterpool will present on “Achieving Vision Zero Through Good Design, Better Engineering & Lower Speed.” Toward Zero Death National Strategy Webinars March 13 - June 5, 2019 Webinar series on topics related to setting a zero road fatality goal such as “Key Partner/Stakeholder Engagement and Communication” and “Engaging with Elected Officials.” Upcoming webinars can be found here.