One year ago, Phoenix leaders implemented Vision Zero, a broad traffic safety plan that aims to reduce traffic deaths and injuries down to zero over the next 25 years.
Sept. 7, 2023, marks a full calendar year since the plan was put in place, though some committee members say they haven’t accomplished as much as they’d like.
While ABC15 was interviewing Ed Hermes, a member of the Vision Zero street safety committee, our cameras caught a driver who was confused about the downtown traffic flow.
The driver was backing up on a one-way road, putting their safety and the safety of others at risk.
”If we could change our design, change our rules as they need to be, we could save lives,” said Hermes.
Saving lives is the goal of Vision Zero.
By 2050, they hope to reduce traffic deaths and serious injuries in Phoenix to zero.
Hermes says the committee in charge has only met three times.
“Frankly we’d like to meet more often — we have a lot of work to do,” he said.
Hermes says a lack of city resources keeps the committee from meeting more often.
“We need to meet monthly,” he said.
He added the city’s allotment of $10 million from a budget that surpasses $1 billion doesn’t go far enough to start safety improvement projects.
There is, however, no shortage of data and plans from Vision Zero.
Hermes shared some recent presentation slides from an August Vision Zero meeting. One plan looks to add anywhere up to seven seconds at pedestrian crosswalks.
Arizona leads the country with more than 300 pedestrian traffic fatalities since last year, according to the Governor’s Highway Safety Association.
Most recently, Vision Zero sought to add more than 1,000 bike lanes by 2050.
Vision Zero, through its High Injury Network map, has identified hot spots for deadly and serious-injury crashes. One of the biggest spots for crashes is up and down Indian School Road.
The High Injury Network will be used to prioritize projects.
The highest-ranked intersections for fatalities and serious injuries are 43rd and Peoria avenues, 67th Avenue and Thomas Road, and 19th Avenue and Union Hills Drive.
Two more Vision Zero meetings are scheduled for this year, — Oct. 19 and Dec.14.
Hermes hopes that increasing the funding to start some of these projects, will decrease traffic deaths and serious injuries.
“I think we can increase the share vision zero gets, year over year, to put more focus on safety, and it’s going to save people money,” he said.