The city of Minneapolis recently released a draft of its Vision Zero Action Plan, which outlines key steps for the next three years to advance the goal of ending traffic deaths and injuries on city streets by 2027.
The draft plan was developed by city staff from multiple departments with significant direction from community stakeholders, partner agencies, and the public. The city of Minneapolis officially became a Vision Zero city in September 2017 when the City Council passed a resolution setting a goal of eliminating traffic deaths and injuries within 10 years. Minneapolis is one of more than 35 Vision Zero cities in the U.S.
According to the city, an average of 95 people suffered life-altering injuries or were killed in traffic crashes each year on streets in Minneapolis from 2007 to 2016. Traffic crashes disproportionately impact people in neighborhoods with lower incomes, Native American residents, and people walking and bicycling. Traffic deaths and severe injuries are unacceptable and preventable.
The draft Vision Zero Action Plan includes 16 strategies and 68 actions to be implemented between 2020 and 2022. Highlights of the proposed strategies include reducing speed limits, making safety improvements on high-injury streets, addressing the most common unsafe traffic behaviors—including driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, distracted driving, speeding, red-light running, and unsafe turning—and implementing automated traffic enforcement.
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SOURCE: City of Minneapolis