Austin: Vision Zero traffic safety efforts show 'promising results'
Published: Wed, 06/07/23
Report: Vision Zero traffic safety efforts show 'promising results'
The Transportation Safety Improvement Program provides a comprehensive and coordinated approach to making Austin's streets safer for all road users.
(Ben Thompson/Community Impact)
Community Impact
By Amanda Cutshall |
Updated
On May 30, Austin transportation officials released the 2021-22 report for Vision Zero, which aims to eliminate traffic-related serious injuries and fatalities in Austin.
Long story short
Major takeaways
Three main takeaways from the report include:
- Safety improvements work: Where Vision Zero safety engineering work has been implemented, safety has improved. Major Intersection Safety Projects resulted in a 31% reduction in serious injury or fatal crashes. Similarly, the South Pleasant Valley Road Project, completed in collaboration with the Bikeways bond program in 2021, is showing an 82% reduction in injury/fatal crashes of all modes.
- The work must continue: Consistent with national trends, injuries and fatalities in Austin over the past two years remain higher than prepandemic levels. Fatal crashes increased on state-owned roadways within Austin, while the number remained relatively flat on non-state-owned roadways. With over 600 people seriously injured or killed each year in Austin, the city acknowledges the need to scale up Vision Zero work to meet the level of the challenge.
- The core problem: Austin has a transportation system that historically was not designed to account for human mistakes and does not adequately mitigate the potential severity of crashes. Retrofitting this system for safer mobility is at the heart of Vision Zero.
- Completing seven Major Intersection Safety Projects, and initiating construction, design, or scoping on another 25 intersections
- Installing low-cost, high-impact systemic projects at more than 40 locations
- Lowering speed limits on nearly 50 arterial streets and hundreds of residential streets
- Leveraging local community bond dollars to secure over $27 million in federal funds to rapidly increase the scale and scope of Vision Zero's engineering work
A major focus of Vision Zero over the next few years will be implementing projects funded by the Safe Streets and Roads for All federal grant program, the report states. In January, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced Austin will receive $22.9 million through this program for major intersection safety projects, including roundabouts and protected intersections, a variety of low-cost treatments at more than 50 locations, 10 pedestrian hybrid beacons, and a citywide lighting study. Officials said the city will allocate at least 50% of the funds into underserved communities.
Officials said they will continue to:
- Perform further equity analysis on specific locations where we are considering safety investments or initiatives
- Refine and implement changes to prioritization methodologies
- Evaluate the impacts of investments on communities of color
- Participate in community conversations about systemic changes needed to promote equitable traffic enforcement
- Engage with TxDOT in ongoing conversations on the I-35 Capital Express project and support the Our Future 35 initiative to ensure the reconstruction of I-35 accounts for the impacts the highway has had on communities of color, and seeks to address community concerns about equity, safety and mobility