Home News Embracing ‘Vision Zero’: A Challenge to U.S. Automobile Dominance

Embracing ‘Vision Zero’: A Challenge to U.S. Automobile Dominance

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Vision Zero Road Safety Initiative

For years, America’s infrastructure has heavily favored personal vehicles, often sidelining other transportation methods. However, modern societies rely on more than just cars, airplanes, and trains for their daily commutes. City streets and suburban neighborhoods now teem with a diverse range of vehicles, from e-scooters and city bikes to autonomous electric taxis and internal combustion SUVs. Balancing these divergent needs to ensure equitable access for everyone, regardless of physical or financial capacity, has become an increasingly difficult task.

Inclusive Transportation: A Manifesto for Divided Communities, a book by civil engineer Veronica O Davis, examines the numerous weaknesses in the United States’ transportation infrastructure, both procedural and structural. She calls upon city planners to reassess how their public works projects impact the communities they are meant to serve. Davis argues strongly for a comprehensive overhaul of the transportation planning field, demanding improved, more practical training for civil engineers, greater diversity in transportation planning initiatives, and redress for some of the community-separating harms caused by America’s previous obsession with highways. In the following excerpt, Davis reviews the effectiveness of Washington DC’s Vision Zero road safety initiative.

Island Press

From Inclusive Transportation by Veronica O. Davis. Copyright © 2023 Veronica O. Davis.

Policy Overhaul in Transportation

Policy decisions often form the bedrock of numerous actions. To illustrate, I once collaborated with a city which had a rule that curb-to-curb space could only be extended under extraordinary circumstances, and even then the response was generally negative. This implied the roadway couldn’t be expanded, but we were allowed to “diet” the road, i.e., reduce its width. For instance, if a road was sixty feet wide, curb-to-curb, that was the only available space to create alternatives for the growing population in the corridor. The city’s directive was, “Make do with what you have, and if reconstruction is required, it shouldn’t widen the road.”

Vision Zero might be a potential solution as a comprehensive framework for changing policy priorities, but it has to transcend being a mere plan and needs to be co-created with the people. Vision Zero, a Swedish concept, acknowledges human fallibility and posits that errors shouldn’t result in severe injuries or fatalities. An issue with the American adoption of Vision Zero is the conflation of total crashes with those resulting in deaths and serious injuries. Vision Zero doesn’t expect a flawless record, understanding that crashes will occur due to human errors. Its emphasis, however, is on preventing deaths and serious injuries, as these severe incidents tend to be localized within certain communities.

Washington DC’s Vision Zero program provides an excellent case study of both successful implementation and some flaws. In 2015, few US cities embraced Vision Zero. DC’s program, one of the first in the country, included widespread public consultations during its development phase. This included multiple meetings across the city, a youth summit, discussions with special advocacy groups, and interaction with several city agencies. Public feedback played a crucial role in shaping the plan. For instance, after talking with a group of young Black teenagers, enforcement related to pedestrians and cyclists was eliminated. They conveyed that crossing the street mid-block was often a safety measure against potential harm from certain groups.

We also learned that police enforcement of laws related to pedestrians and cyclists often created friction within the community. Charles T. Brown has documented in his podcast Arrested Mobility how laws like jaywalking are enforced disproportionately in Black and Brown communities, especially against men. In DC’s Vision Zero, enforcement was redirected towards dangerous driving behaviors such as excessive speeding, drunk driving, distracted driving, and reckless driving.

Considering the heightened scrutiny of policing in the wake of George Floyd’s murder, plans reevaluating equity should take a step further. DC’s Vision Zero rightly focused on behaviors causing deaths and severe injuries. The plan, however, should have proposed a thorough review of all transportation laws, removing those unsupported by data or not contributing to safer streets. Any data-driven approach should target behaviors causing crashes resulting in deaths and serious injuries.

Furthermore, this plan proposed recommendations and strategies but fell short of going the extra mile. After the Vision Zero plan was shared, all communities began demanding safer streets, resulting in competition for resources. Despite DC’s Vision Zero leading to increased advocacy, resources were not necessarily directed to areas that required the most investment. In such scenarios, I emphasize the need for a framework that allocates resources to communities and areas experiencing high rates of fatalities and serious injuries. These are often areas with a high population of Black, Latino, or low-income residents.

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Vision Zero Road Safety Initiative

What is the main theme of Veronica O. Davis’s book “Inclusive Transportation: A Manifesto for Divided Communities”?

The book examines the numerous weaknesses in the United States’ transportation infrastructure, both procedural and structural, and calls for a comprehensive overhaul of the transportation planning field. This includes demanding improved, more practical training for civil engineers, greater diversity in transportation planning initiatives, and redress for some of the community-separating harms caused by America’s previous obsession with highways.

What is Vision Zero?

Vision Zero is a road safety initiative originating from Sweden that recognizes human fallibility and posits that errors shouldn’t result in severe injuries or fatalities. The program focuses on preventing deaths and serious injuries and not on eliminating all crashes, as crashes due to human errors are expected to occur.

How does Vision Zero apply to the United States, as per Davis’s review?

In Davis’s review, she outlines how Vision Zero can be a comprehensive framework for changing policy priorities in the United States. It needs to be more than a plan and should be co-created with the people. She gives the example of Washington DC’s Vision Zero program, one of the first in the US, which included widespread public consultations during its development phase.

What lessons can be learned from the implementation of Vision Zero in Washington, DC?

Lessons from Washington DC’s Vision Zero plan include the importance of public consultations in shaping policy, the need to target dangerous driving behaviors rather than pedestrian and cyclist behaviors, and the requirement for a thorough review of all transportation laws. There is also an emphasis on allocating resources to communities and areas experiencing high rates of fatalities and serious injuries, often areas with a high population of Black, Latino, or low-income residents.

How does the book “Inclusive Transportation: A Manifesto for Divided Communities” relate to current social issues?

The book touches on numerous social issues such as community separation caused by highway construction, the disproportionate enforcement of jaywalking laws in Black and Brown communities, and the heightened scrutiny of policing in the wake of George Floyd’s murder. Davis argues for a comprehensive review of transportation laws, ensuring they contribute to safer streets and are supported by data.

More about Vision Zero Road Safety Initiative

  • “Inclusive Transportation: A Manifesto for Divided Communities” by Veronica O. Davis – Link

  • Vision Zero – Link

  • Charles T. Brown’s Podcast “Arrested Mobility” – Link

  • Washington DC’s Vision Zero Road Safety Program – Link

  • “BuyTechBlog” – Link (Note: This is a fictional website mentioned in the text)

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5 comments

Scootergirl77 July 23, 2023 - 11:03 pm

Vision Zero seems like a cool idea, not about eliminatin all crashes but keepin peeps safe. DC’s plan sounds promisin with all dat outreach and talkin 2 da community. #SafetyFirst

Reply
JohhnyBoy123 July 24, 2023 - 12:07 am

wow dis article is amazin jus shows how messed up da transportashun system is in da US. we need 2 think bout otha modes of transport 2 make it fair 4 everyone. #VisionZeroFTW

Reply
SpeedDemon5000 July 24, 2023 - 4:42 am

vision zero, more like vision snore-o! we all make mistakes, so what’s da big deal? crashes happen, deal with it! gotta go fast! #NeedForSpeed

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UrbanThinker42 July 24, 2023 - 9:16 am

the disparities in enforcement and safety in certain communities is a serious issue. glad 2 c the focus on improvin road safety in Washington DC, but we need it everywhere! #SafetyForAll

Reply
TranspoNerd24 July 24, 2023 - 2:36 pm

the book “inclusive transportashun” sounds like a real eye-opener. we gotta reevaluat our policies, man, coz sum communities r sufferin cuz of da way we been buildin roads. #InfrastructureProblems

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