Vision Zero is an international initiative aimed at eliminating fatal and severe injuries associated with transportation (in motor vehicles, by bicycle, or while walking). In late 2016, the Santa Barbara City Council voted to become a “Vision Zero City.” City staff have now prepared a strategy to implement Vision Zero . The strategy will be voted on by the City Council on Tuesday, September 11.
While we support the concept of Vision Zero, we want to suggest some simple modifications to the strategy that would greatly improve its effectiveness, transparency, and evaluation of its benefits over time. We are concerned because, as happened with Santa Barbara’s Bicycle Master Plan , we may be jumping into a decades-long process during which the public may be left in the dark about both process, progress, and benefits .
Highly cost-effective steps that would improve the strategy include: