Dallas -- The Dallas City Council today voted to adopt the Vision Zero Action Plan to address the need for safer roads and equitable mobility for all. Vision Zero is a globally recognized traffic safety strategy that seeks to eliminate all traffic fatalities and reduce severe injuries from crashes.
“When it comes to traffic safety, a few seconds can change a life forever,” said Council Member Omar Narvaez, chair of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. “Through a comprehensive approach to improving our infrastructure, implementing policy changes and each of us accepting personal responsibility, we can all contribute to making our transportation system safer.”
In 2019, Dallas City Council tasked the Dallas Department of Transportation with developing an action plan through a series of task force meetings, data collection and public input.
“As Dallas continues to grow, we will see and want to encourage more cyclists and pedestrians in our streets, so we all need to become ambassadors for the Vision Zero Action Plan,” Dallas City Manager TC Broadnax said. “Public Safety is one of Dallas’ eight top strategic focus areas, and Council adoption of Vision Zero will strengthen it for residents and visitors using all modes of transportation.”
The Vision Zero Action Plan calls for focusing on the 5Es approach: Engineering, Enforcement, Education, Evaluation and Equity. Over the next five years, City departments will identify and implement transportation safety improvements and conduct focused enforcement of the most dangerous behaviors, while also calling on residents to follow traffic laws to mitigate risks.
“Working towards a goal of zero traffic fatalities and a reduction in severe injuries will be a major undertaking and requires we all work together,” Dallas Department of Transportation Director Ghassan Khankarli said. “We are excited to see this plan in action and create lasting impacts so that all roadway users including pedestrians, cyclists and drivers feel safer on our roads.”
In Dallas, the top three factors that account for fatal and severe crashes are pedestrian-involved crashes, speeding and not using proper restraints such as seatbelts or car seats. With the increase in dangerous behaviors such as speeding and texting while driving, there has been an uptick in the number of fatalities on Dallas roads.
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