The City’s new Vision Zero strategy: a meaningful step toward safer streets

Just two days before this year’s World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims, Mayor London Breed announced the release of the City’s new Vision Zero Action Strategy.

The new Vision Zero Action Strategy is the blueprint for what the City will do to improve traffic safety over the next three years. And the map below makes it all-too-clear how important this strategy is. More than 200 people have been hit and killed in traffic crashes, and more than 5,000 severely injured.

I’m pleased to share that thanks to the tireless advocacy of our members, the 30+ groups in the Vision Zero Coalition, and Families for Safe Streets, the final strategy is strong.

I’m grateful to the City for listening to communities and responding to feedback. What’s in the final strategy is focused on what can move the needle with crashes the fastest, and much more aggressive than initial drafts. The final strategy:

• Commits to complete 20 Quick Build projects / year. This means that the 80 miles of designated high-injury streets still awaiting meaningful safety fixes will have them by 2024. Quick Builds have proven to be the fastest, most affordable means for the City to redesign dangerous streets.
• Commits to complete 100% of continental crosswalks, daylighting, and leading pedestrian intervals on the high-injury network by 2024 (with daylighting done by 2023!). It also moves much closer to completing pedestrian countdowns and accessible pedestrian signals within the same timeframe. When layered, these safety improvements bring significantly safer conditions for people crossing the street.
• Commits to creating a citywide active transportation network with car-free spaces as well as car-lite spaces (like Slow Streets). For significantly more people to be able to walk and bike for more trips, they need truly safe and comfortable places to do so – that also connect neighborhoods and key destinations.
• Commits to creating a comprehensive speed management plan in 2022. With speed as the #1 cause of severe and fatal crashes, lowering speeds is the most powerful lever in getting to Vision Zero. We’re so glad the City is going to bring new focus and coordinated actions around this.

This is the strongest traffic safety plan yet for San Francisco since the City embraced Vision Zero in 2014. Our next task – with your help – is making sure that the City follows through on its commitments and is a true Vision Zero leader.

Donate now to support Walk SF’s work to shape the City’s comprehensive speed management plan in 2022.