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Vision Zero

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What is Vision Zero?

Vision Zero is a policy that supports the elimination of all traffic fatalities and severe injuries and increasing safe, healthy, and equitable mobility for all. This is done by acknowledging that traffic deaths and severe injuries are preventable and setting the goal of eliminating both in a set time frame, with clear, measurable strategies. In August of 2019, the City of Santa Cruz adopted a Vision Zero policy to eliminate all traffic fatalities and serious injuries on City streets by 2030. Vision Zero uses a multidisciplinary approach focusing on the “six Es” as the guiding principles: Engineering, Education, Enforcement, Evaluation, Equity and Encouragement. A Vision Zero policy connects all existing efforts, identifies gaps of current efforts, and prioritizes implementation of a coordinated program.

See the Vision Zero Resolution here.

Vision Zero in Action

The Vision Zero policy builds upon the City’s existing and ongoing efforts within a lens of equity. Current efforts to holistically approach traffic safety in the City of Santa Cruz include:

Evaluation

  • A Local Roadway Safety Plan was developed that includes gathering, analyzing, utilizing, and sharing reliable data to understand traffic safety issues, to prioritize resources based on evidence of the greatest need and impact, and to evaluate the success of those efforts.
  • Map of collisions for targeted approach.

collision map

  • Ongoing reporting and monitoring through the Traffic Safety Report which tracks traffic injury and fatality data.
  • Active Transportation Plan: annual updates on implementation status to Transportation and Public Works Commission.
  • Funding of projects driven by collision data.

Engineering

Engineering work is driven by a goal to improve roadway safety. Efforts focus on safety improvements with proven results at high collision locations and along high collision corridors with emphasis on construction of completely separated bike and pedestrian facilities such as the rail trail. Engineering uses data driven countermeasures to address roadway safety.

Recent Examples of City Projects to Improve Safety for motorists, bicyclists and pedestrians:

In Progress:
Near Future:
Ongoing:
  • Green Pavement Treatment/Buffered Bike lanes Sidewalk Infill/Completion Programs
  • Safety Improvements as Part of Any Repaving
  • Safety Improvements as Part of Private Development
Completed:

 

Education/Encouragement  
  • Street Smarts is the City's prime Vision Zero educational component. This traffic safety campaign addresses top collision causes including unsafe speed and unsafe turns. It also addresses pedestrian and bicycle safety. Strategy includes bilingual media messaging, outdoor signage, as well as traffic safety presentations to Santa Cruz City School students. 

 for web Street_Smarts+Santa_Cruz+URL_RGB

  • Safe Routes to School: City of Santa Cruz works with the City Schools and the Community Traffic Safety Coalition to provide traffic safety education classes, develop Safe Routes Maps for bicycling and walking to each school, and promotional events during Walk to School Day and Bike to School Day. The program will help children reduce their risk in traffic now and help build the foundation and knowledge that can make them safer in traffic throughout their lives.
  • Partnerships: City of Santa Cruz awards grant funds to Ecology Action and County of Santa Cruz Health Services Agency to provide education and encouragement to all of the Santa Cruz City Public Schools.
  • City provides funds for Bike to Work events and Open Streets Santa Cruz County.
  • Support of RTC Bicycle Wayfinding Program which includes bicycle route signage and maps.
  • GO Santa Cruz program provides monthly education for bicycle safety.

Enforcement
  • Targeted neighborhood, school zones and high collision corridor speed enforcement by Police Department
  • School Crossing Guard Program

How Are We Doing?

Over the latest 5-year collision history (2017 to 2021) within the City of Santa Cruz (inclusive of State Highways) there have been 15 fatalities and 112 victims with severe injuries. The goal of Vision Zero is to bring the number of fatalities and severe injuries down to ZERO by 2030. Over the last few years, the overall trend for the number of fatalities and severe injuries as well as the number of victims at all levels of severity has been decreasing as shown below.

fatalities 1

motor victims

cycling victims

Pedes victims

Data Source: Transportation Injury Mapping System (TIMS), Safe Transportation Research and Education Center, University of California, Berkeley. 2022;  TIMS utilizes the California Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SWITRS).

Note: 2021 data is provisional and subject to change. SWITRS data may inaccurately report collisions as located in the City of Santa Cruz which are in the Unincorporated County skewing the victim counts presented above.

 

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