Zero Vision

One of the most extraordinary aspects of transport policy is the limited attention paid to road deaths

One of the most extraordinary aspects of transport policy is the limited attention paid to road deaths. They are treated with the same disdain the troops in the first world war sent ‘over the top’ to certain death. Basically, shit happens and there’s not anything we can do about it.

Nowhere is this more the case than in America where attempts to stem the tide of road deaths have been half hearted to say the least. The death toll is quite extraordinary, 40,000 annually, more than twice the number of Gis who died in the worst year of the Vietnam War. The Washington Post is running a very well researched and comprehensive series on why so many pedestrians are killed

on American roads. It makes salutary reading. The most recent article focuses on the shocking finding is that only one of 25 cities which have a vision zero road safety initiative have managed to reduce the number of deaths on the streets -and that is New York.

In fact, this is hardly surprising given that none of the city authorities understand that just announcing there is a vision zero policy doesn’t make a difference. The article highlights the death of a young woman in Los Angeles on the particularly dangerous street, Vista Del Mar, when she was hit by the driver of a SUV which had collided with another vehicle. The street at one point had been narrowed a few years ago in order to slow the traffic down, but after protests from drivers had been restored to four lanes. Indeed, one of those who had protested was the driver of the car which killed Cecilia Milbourne, a young actress who had been walking her dog on the beach and was crossing at a point where there was no crosswalk (as they are called in the US)and no pavement (or sidewalk).

Vision Zero was a programme adopted by the Obama administration in an effort to reduce road deaths but cities have been reluctant to follow through in order to make it a success. They have resisted the obvious policies of reducing speed limits, putting in more crossings, allowing more time for people to cross at lights, narrowing the streets, adding bike lanes and so on. None of this is rocket science but every transport planner knows that there policies will reduce casualties. In fact, now the Trump administration is trying to ensure not only that cities do not impose new measures to reduce casualties, but is looking at older and well established schemes in order to remove them. Essentially this is a way of murdering your own citizens.

The Vision Zero concept can be very useful, but only if it is seen as a way of adopting these measures. In the UK, Wales has shown the way. Despite a huge furore, the Welsh government has stuck with a policy introduced two years ago that made 20 MPH, rather than 30 MPH, the default maximum speed for built up areas. Golly gosh, this created a real fuss. Nobody would be able to get to the shops speedily, people visiting their dying mother would not get there in time, pupils would be late for classes, drug dealers would find it easier to do their business the economy would suffer – oh, there was no end of fuss.

Despite a few wobbles and the reversal of the change on some streets, the government has held firm and it has led to traffic slowing down – not perhaps always to 20 mph, but basically it has made people think about how fast they are going. I drove last summer in North Wales and it was noticeable that most people were sticking to the limit. Behaviour was indeed changing.

And the results have been impressive. Statistics just released show there were 2,638 casualties on 20/30mph roads in the 18 months post introduction, compared to 3,520 in the same period beforehand. This represents a reduction of 25per cent, compared with a 2 per cent fall on 40mph roads across the same periods. Moreover, in North Wales, where there was a higher adoption of the new system with 94 per cent of roads changed from 30mph to 20mph, casualties fell by 46 per cent.

Overall, across the country, around 100 fewer people were killed or seriously injured. If only we knew who they are, we could run a great publicity stunt.

Of course it takes more than the imposition of speed limits to really bring down casualties. In Finland, the capital, Helsinki, had a year up to July 2025 without a single fatality in the city. Sadly that run has ended now with four subsequent deaths, perhaps as people got complacent. But nevertheless it is a remarkable record that has been based on a whole series of measures designed with the aim of zero deaths in mind. This was the result of a long established policy that involved a series of crucial measures such as lower speed limits, adapting streets to make them safer for pedestrians and, crucially, having a focus on cycling and walking, as well as public transport, so that there are fewer cars on the streets. This is difficult to imagine imposing this on a city imbued with American culture which runs counter to the very idea of restricting or limiting car use. Moreover there has to be a policy of enforcement, with automated speed cameras and other technology which the American public would often mobilise against.

Just announcing a city has a Vision Zero policy will never bring about change. It takes much more and, in particular, some courageous politicians. This is a subject dear to my heart and I will be returning to it several times next year.

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