Boulder Joins Denver In Vision Zero Traffic Fatality Plan

BOULDER, CO -- From the City of Boulder: Each year, more than 3,000 traffic collisions are reported in Boulder, with an average of 60 serious injuries. Last year, Boulder had 7 fatalities. Far more than statistics, these numbers represent lives that are upended, often as a result of an instantaneous decision that could have been prevented.

Adopted in 2014 in the Transportation Master Plan, Toward Vision Zero is the goal of achieving zero fatalities and serious injuries from traffic collisions. At the heart of this goal is the idea that fatalities and serious injuries on city streets are unacceptable and preventable, and that all of us has a role in ensuring the number of collisions are reduced. This week, the city is launching a new educational campaign aimed at enlisting all members of the community in achieving this goal.
“This is part of an all-hands-on-deck approach to safety on our streets,” said Mike Gardner-Sweeney, Director of Public Works for Transportation with the city. “While city staff works with the community to design safe streets, provide safety education and outreach and enforce traffic laws, with this campaign we’re asking everyone in Boulder to join us in reaching the goal of zero fatalities and serious injuries.”
Over the past year, city staff has participated in the Toward Vision Zero Community Partnership, a regional working group on traffic safety that includes representatives from the Transportation Advisory Board, Boulder County, the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), the University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder Valley School District, and community organizations, such as Community Cycles and Cyclists 4 Community.
With data from the 2016 Boulder’s Safe Streets Report as a foundation, members of the partnership foster ongoing implementation and support of the city’s safety strategies, including encouraging behavioral change for all users of the transportation system.
“Too many of us can name friends or family members who have been killed or maimed in a traffic collision,” said Tila Duhaime, member of the Transportation Advisory Board and the Toward Vision Zero Community Partnership. “These are devastating, life-altering events, not accidents. It’s time to say enough is enough and recognize that we can make changes as a community to stop these crashes from happening.”
The initial push of Toward Vision Zero focuses on building awareness around the goal of zero fatalities and serious injuries. Over the next year, the city will be releasing videos, posters and social media content aimed at changing specific behaviors identified in the Safe Streets Report—such as impaired and distracted driving, walking and cycling—that are more likely to lead to collisions.
For more information, visit BoulderColorado.gov/transportation/tvz.

Image via City of Boulder