Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall has annouced that the city will join the Vision Zero Network, a national strategy to eliminate all traffic fatalities and severe injuries on City streets, while increasing safe, healthy, equitable mobility for all.
“Our residents deserve to travel safely to and from our incredible neighborhoods, regardless of what time of day they travel, or how they travel,” Mayor Mendenhall said. “Vision Zero is not more of the same. It is a significant departure from the status quo that will further solidify Salt Lake City’s commitment to safe streets.”
Vision Zero states that road systems and related policies should be designed to ensure that inevitable mistakes by users do not result in severe injuries or fatalities.
This means that system designers and policymakers need to improve the roadway environment, implement policies such as speed management, and other related systems to lessen the severity of crashes, said the release.
Salt Lake City will join more than 45 other cities across the nation who are already doing the work, with an ultimate goal of zero deaths and zero serious injuries due to traffic violence by 2035.
The city plans to create a strategic plan and engage with the community to address the changes necessary to move forward.
“This is an exciting announcement that provides focus to our ongoing traffic safety efforts,” said Jon Larsen, Transportation Division Director. “This will require a shift in mentality for everyone that getting there safely is more important than getting there fast.”
Source: Utah Business