Notations On Our World (Weekly Edition): On Our World

 

What are You Planning for World Day of Remembrance? Part of what stands in the way of Vision Zero progress is widespread complacency about preventable traffic violence that kills 40,000 people and severely injuries millions more in the U.S. each year. We have the chance to challenge that complacency and make life-saving changes. Sunday, November 21, 2021 is one of these times, and we ask you – everyone reading this – to please join with us for annual international World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims. People across the world and nation are organizing events to memorialize those killed and injured and calling for change – because it does not have to be this way. Whether you can help organize a candlelight vigil, rally, or bike ride, or simply use the chance to educate your local electeds and media with a social media campaign, we ask you to take action this year. Find out more here and sign up to collaborate and share your activities as part of this year's World Day of Remembrance events.

Re-Thinking Enforcement in Vision Zero At our recent discussion – Re-thinking the Role of Enforcement in Traffic Safety Work – we focused on our roles, within the Vision Zero movement, to make change. We talked about some of the ways that racialized enforcement – including discriminatory traffic stops and inequitable traffic fines and fees – are conducted in the name of “safe streets”. But it does not have to be this way. As Vision Zero advocates, we have a responsibility to call out when the status quo is not working, and that is the case as police enforcement disproportionately harms some people in our communities, particularly Black people. You can check out our top takeaways from the discussion and watch the recording. We appreciate the excellent panelists who led the discussion: Charles T. Brown, Founder and CEO at Equitable Cities; Warren Logan, Director of Mobility and Interagency Relations with the City of Oakland; and Ethan Fawley, Vision Zero Program Coordinator with the City of Minneapolis. Special thanks also to Spin for supporting our efforts to facilitate these discussions. And we invite you to our next discussion, Rethinking Enforcement: A City-to-City Conversation, on October 28, 2021. More info below & register here.

Are your Congresspeople for Vision Zero or Not? For the first time ever, the U.S. Congress is considering an official goal of safe mobility for all people in this country. If you think it’s a good idea, help us get there. Please start by checking to see if your Federal representatives are co-sponsors of the first ever Congressional Resolution for Zero Traffic Deaths – it’s easy, check here: S. Res. 321, H. Res. 565. If so, thank them! And if not, contact them! We've held more than 37 meetings already (see some pictures above). And we’re adding more co-sponsors every week. But we still have hundreds of electeds who have not signed on. Read more about the national Vision Zero campaign and how you can help.

Talking VZ with AV Leaders To some, a future with autonomous vehicles (AV) is a promising path to safe streets. To others, it’s a dreadful combination of new and ongoing safety problems. And for most, we have a lot of questions about how this future technology will affect Vision Zero goals.  In a recent webinar, we were joined by representatives from PAVE (Partners for Automated Vehicle Education) and two leading AV companies, Cruise and Waymo, to discuss safety priorities and opportunities for collaboration toward safety goals. Check out our summary and 1-hour recording here.

Re-thinking the Role of Enforcement in Traffic Safety Work: City to City / part 2 October 28, 2021 @ 12 pm -1 pm PT / 3 pm - 4 pm ET As more communities re-think the traditional role of enforcement in traffic safety work, we invite you to the second in a series of conversations about how Vision Zero cities can lead positive change. We’ll be hosting a conversation – Re-thinking the Role of Enforcement in Traffic Safety Work: City to City – on October 28th. We’ll be joined by a panel of city staff who are thinking about and acting on the need to ensure traffic safety efforts, including enforcement, are both effective and equitable. We’ll discuss ways to align Vision Zero efforts for positive change, in part by recognizing and addressing inequities and injustices in some traditional traffic safety strategies. Find out more and register here.

Vision Zero Cities Conference is Virtual This year’s Vision Zero Cities Conference is a chance to explore pressing issues on our streets today – from street design to traffic enforcement – and to hear from experts and advocates devoted to safe streets and livable cities. Find out more about the October 20-22 event hosted by Transportation Alternatives in NYC.

Traffic fatalities across the US rose in 2020 but not in Fremont. What did the city do differently? Western City, October 1, 2021 “Biking Where Black” study shows relationship between lack of bike lanes, heavy ticketing, Streetsblog Chicago, September 28, 2021 15mph Speed Limit To Be Introduced Across City Of London In 2022, Forbes, September 28, 2021 Grisly Texas Crash Raises Old Questions About Teen Drivers, Streetsblog USA, September 27, September 28, 2021 Vision Zero Resolution to Eliminate Traffic Deaths Gaining More Traction in U.S., Newsweek, September 23, 2021 It’s Time for California to Decriminalize Jaywalking, CityLab, September 22, 2021 The US car crash epidemic: Why driving deaths are up — and as high as gun deaths, Vox, September 19, 2021 How Boston is embracing smart tech to make its roads safer, close the digital divide, and combat climate change, Business Insider, September 15, 2021 As traffic deaths climb, NTSB chair calls for 'fundamental rethink' of transportation planning, Smart Cities Dive, September 14, 2021 NTSB chief: focus on road safety must shift to entire system, The Seattle Times, September 13, 2021

Appreciate this Advocacy for Vision Zero? If so, please help us keep it moving forward! We are a nonprofit project that raises our own funds to advocate for safe streets, sidewalks and bikeways for everyone. Your support makes a difference. Please consider an online contribution here. And if your company is interested in exploring Vision Zero Network sponsorship, contact us at leah@visionzeronetwork.org.