AC Transit, SFMTA join federal Vision Zero campaign

The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency and Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District (AC Transit) have committed to join a federal effort toward Vision Zero traffic safety efforts.

Last week, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced more than 30 new commitments from organizations supporting the Department’s National Roadway Safety Strategy and taking action to reverse the crisis that is killing more than 40,000 people on American roads each year. This brings the total number of Allies in Action to over 80. 

This announcement follows news that the dramatic increase in roadway fatalities seen during the pandemic has begun to level out but remains far too high with an estimated 42,795 people dying in motor vehicle traffic crashes in 2022. This represents a small decrease of about 0.3% as compared to the 42,939 fatalities reported for 2021.

U.S. DOT’s Allies in Action have committed to taking specific, tangible steps to actively reduce the number of deaths and serious injuries on America’s roads and streets, expand the adoption of a Safe System Approach and a Zero Fatalities vision across the nation, and transform how we as a nation think about road safety. Allies in Action span multiple sectors and include health and safety advocates, the private sector, municipal and law enforcement organizations, and more. 

The U.S. DOT highlighted the efforts locally:

San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA)

SFMTA will deploy Quick-Build Projects to their High Injury Network. Since San Francisco adopted its Vision Zero Plan in 2014, over 50 miles of Quick-Build corridor projects have been completed on the High Injury Network. San Francisco has approximately 50 miles remaining and commits to making those core safety improvements using the Quick-Build toolkit in 2023. Additionally, SFMTA will install 100 traffic calming devices annually, including those that increase visibility, such as speed humps or raised crosswalks, and will prioritizing roadway safety investments in neighborhoods most disproportionately impacted by traffic deaths and severe injuries.

Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District (AC Transit)

AC Transit will redesign, or work with other entities to redesign, roadways in order to maintain safe speeds and to minimize conflicts between modes that utilize roadways. This includes the execution of Rapid Corridor Projects that shift the location of transit stops from before to after an intersection as well as the construction of bus passenger boarding islands and bulb-outs, as well as Quick Strike Projects which improve safety, reduce travel time and increase bus line reliability through roadway reconfigurations, traffic signal modifications, and bus stop improvements such as bus boarding bulbs.

MTC has adopted a regional Safety/Vision Zero policy and has begun development on a Regional Integrated Safety Data System to provide jurisdictions with a consistent source of data and tools for conducting safety analyses and informing their safety plans and projects. More information on the Vision Zero Working Group can be found here.