Motion directs staff to develop a new Vision Zero Safety Policy and Action Plan, with an objective to eliminate deaths and serious injuries caused by motor vehicles
VANCOUVER (Musqueam, Squamish and Tseil-Waututh Territories) - OneCity Councillor Lucy Maloney has tabled a motion that will direct City staff to develop a new road safety policy and action plan, with an ambitious goal: zero deaths and serious injuries caused by motor vehicles.
The motion, entitled Developing a Vision Zero Road Safety Policy and Action Plan, envisions shifting the City’s existing approach to road safety by taking evidence-based action to achieve its target of zero motor vehicle deaths and serious injuries.
“Road violence injures thousands of people every year, and for the last decade, it has claimed at least 10 lives annually,” said Lucy Maloney, City Councillor, OneCity Vancouver. “I reject the idea that this is inevitable or acceptable. Zero deaths and injuries on our streets is an ambitious goal, and it is a goal we can achieve. We know what works to make our roads safe for everyone who uses them. We just need to do it.”
The City of Vancouver has a road safety action plan in place since 2016: the Moving Towards Zero Safety Action Plan. Although this plan is approaching its tenth anniversary, it has yet to substantially reduce serious injuries or fatalities. With thousands of people suffering injuries on our streets every year, it is clear that a more effective approach is needed.
Maloney’s motion directs city staff to examine best practices from other jurisdictions when shaping that new approach. Although effective Vision Zero models exist around the world, there are examples that might be followed in our own backyard. The District of Saanich, for example, recently passed a Road Safety Action Plan that set a measurable target to cut traffic fatalities and serious injuries in half by 2030, and will update its plan as it measures progress toward that goal.
The motion also directs staff to take a ruthless and evidence-based lens to existing road safety interventions. If an investment in road safety is not proven to result in measurable safety outcomes, it ought to be eliminated, and its resources ought to be redirected to interventions that do improve safety.
In practice, this means moving away from ineffective interventions, like campaigns that attempt to persuade pedestrians to wear high-visibility gear, and towards more effective interventions that address dangerous driver behaviour, like road redesigns, speed reductions and better visibility at intersections so all road users can see each other coming and keep each other safe.
A review of the evidence shows that vehicle speed is the top factor contributing to traffic fatalities in British Columbia, with every increase of 1kph in speed resulting in a 3% increase in injury-causing crashes, and a 4 to 5% increase in fatalities.
While safer streets are good for everyone, they are especially good for seniors. Although fewer than 20% of the City of Vancouver’s population, they make up nearly half of all pedestrian deaths in traffic crashes.
Supporters of Lucy Maloney’s motion are invited to send an email to Mayor and Council or sign up to speak.