The alarming number of local traffic-related fatalities in the area last year has triggered a movement in Tampa Bay.
- Vision Zero adopted by Hillsborough community leaders
- Goal is reducing traffic fatalities and serious injuries to zero
- Strategies are varied across the country
Vision Zero brings law enforcement officials, engineers and city council members together to discuss how traffic fatalities can be prevented. Lisa Montelione, Tampa City Council member, was one of more than a dozen officials in attendance.
“It’s a strategy that employs all of the community," she said, "so it's not just from a traffic safely standpoint, it’s not just an enforcement standpoint or an engineering standpoint. It really involves all aspects of our roadways, our sidewalks, our bicycle lanes, our concept of how we’ve looked at this in the past."
Those strategies are varied, from early childhood education to advanced highway engineering. Montelione recalls a unique approach designed to engage community ties.
“There was one sign, I think it was in New York City, where they put on a street sign at an intersection that said ‘Your neighbor was killed here,'" she said. "Now you’re standing on a sidewalk waiting to cross the street. You look up and see that sign. You’re going to stop in your tracks and think twice about crossing that street.
Twenty-four communities across the country have started 'Vision Zero' projects. Tampa’s City Council signed on to the resolution last year. This week’s meeting is the first for the project.
Learn more about Vision Zero on the project's website.