THE ISSUE
ASLA supports legislation that will assist with the elimination of all transportation-related fatalities and the creation of multimodal transportation projects.
Background & Analysis
On March 1, 2017, Representative Earl Blumenauer (OR) introduced H.R. 1266, the Vision Zero Act of 2017. The legislation authorizes the Department of Transportation to award grants to a city, town, township, borough, county, parish, district, village, or other political subdivision of a state to develop a Vision Zero plan to eliminate transportation-related fatalities and serious injuries in its jurisdiction within a specified timeframe, not to exceed 20 years.
Specifically, the legislation creates two grant programs within the Department of Transportation to award money to communities to develop and implement Vision Zero plans. $5 million a year is set aside for planning grants to help communities draft a Vision Zero plan, required for application for implementation funding. $25 million a year will be awarded to five communities for implementation of a written and officially adopted Vision Zero plan. Twenty-five percent of the annual funding must be awarded to eligible entities with a population of 200,000 people or fewer.
Vision Zero plans must include: descriptions of projects, policies, and data-driven evaluation methods of the plan, demonstration of broad community support, government coordination, and consideration of lower income communities and communities of color with respect to Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Passage of the Vision Zero Act would help communities of all sizes develop and implement innovative, effective methods to make our transportation rights-of-way safer for everyone.
Sponsors
Representative Earl Blumenauer (OR) and co-sponsors.
Current Status
The Vision Zero Act of 2017, H.R. 1266 was introduced on March 1, 2017, and was referred to the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee’s Subcommittee on Highways and Transit.
History
Started in Sweden in the late 1990s, Vision Zero is a traffic safety policy that takes an ethical approach toward achieving safety for all road users, setting the goal of zero traffic fatalities or severe injuries. Through its commitment to Vision Zero, Sweden has halved its traffic deaths nationally and is, today, one of the safest places to move about. Currently, more than 20 U.S. cities have set Vision Zero goals of eliminating traffic fatalities and severe injuries within their communities. A year or two after implementing Vision Zero action plans, New York, Chicago, and San Francisco are already seeing dramatic improvements in bike and pedestrian safety.
Resources
Vision Zero Network
Map of Vision Zero Cities
Best Practice Strategies to Advance Vision Zero
Achieving Multimodal Networks
ASLA Public Policies
Transportation Corridors and Facilities
Urban Growth and Development
Livable Communities
Environmental Justice