What ‘Vision Zero’ does

As Ottawa struggles with cycling accidents and awaits a traffic safety report in the fall, Edmonton has forged ahead with “Vision Zero” to tackle road deaths. The following is excerpted from an editorial in the Edmonton Journal:

Vision Zero, Edmonton’s plan to eliminate all road fatalities and serious injuries by 2032 with a mix of community initiatives, roadway engineering, pedestrian-safety programs and speed management, is a long way from meeting its lofty goal.

But while Edmontonians have grown weary of pie-in-the-sky civic initiatives that go awry, results from 2018 show that Vision Zero is actually working.

Last year, there were 24,003 collisions in Edmonton, resulting in 19 deaths and 319 people hospitalized. Another 2,989 people were treated for injuries but not hospitalized. Yes, the numbers still sound horrific; but that only goes to illustrate the extent of the problem. The statistics also show Edmonton streets are actually getting safer compared to previous years.

In 2018, collisions involving pedestrians dropped by 7.4 per cent from the previous year. Those involving cyclists fell by

9.1 per cent and collisions involving motorcycles are down by 7.1 per cent.

The progress is even more dramatic when compared to 2015, when the city adopted Vision Zero. Since then, pedestrian injuries have fallen off 21 per cent from three years ago, cyclist injuries dropped 29 per cent and motorcyclist injuries declined 26 per cent.