Despite a long-standing focus on personal vehicles in our national infrastructure, today’s transportation landscape extends far beyond planes, trains, and automobiles. With the increasing variety of vehicles on our city streets and suburban neighborhoods, accommodating everyone’s needs has become a complex challenge. In her book “Inclusive Transportation: A Manifesto for Divided Communities,” civil engineer Veronica O. Davis sheds light on the deficiencies of America’s transportation infrastructure and proposes a revolutionary approach to transportation planning. She calls for better training for civil engineers, diverse voices in transportation planning, and reversing some of the negative impacts caused by our past dependence on freeways. In the following excerpt, Davis examines the success of Washington DC’s Vision Zero road safety program.
One crucial aspect of addressing transportation challenges lies in reevaluating policy. For instance, one city I worked with had a policy that restricted expanding the curb-to-curb space unless there were exceptional circumstances. This meant that the roadway could not be widened, but alternative solutions like “road diets” were possible. By narrowing the roadway, we had to work within the existing space, which became increasingly challenging with the growing population in the corridor. This policy reflected a mindset of working with what was available and avoiding unnecessary expansion. To pave the way for change, Vision Zero could serve as a comprehensive framework for policy transformation, but it must involve the input and collaboration of the people it aims to serve.
Originating from Sweden, Vision Zero recognizes that human errors will happen but aims to prevent serious injuries and fatalities resulting from those errors. However, its adoption in the United States often leads to confusion between overall crashes and crashes resulting in severe injuries or deaths. Vision Zero does not aim for a perfect record, but rather focuses on minimizing deaths and serious injuries. This distinction is critical because crashes occur throughout the community and many result in minor or no injuries. However, more severe crashes tend to concentrate in specific communities. If resources are allocated based solely on the number of crashes without considering the resulting injuries, communities that experience higher fatality rates might receive fewer resources. The Vision Zero plan implemented in Washington DC offers both successful aspects and areas for improvement.
In 2015, only a handful of US cities embraced Vision Zero, and DC’s plan was one of the first to prioritize extensive outreach during its development. Over the course of a summer, numerous meetings were held in various locations throughout the city, including a youth summit and discussions with advocacy groups and city agencies. These engagements were not limited to informing the public but actively involved them, utilizing their feedback and personal stories to shape the plan. For instance, after speaking with a group of young Black teens at the youth summit, enforcement related to pedestrians and cyclists was removed. The young people explained that crossing the street away from designated areas provided safety from potential violence. They perceived the risk of being targeted by violence as greater than the risk of being struck by a vehicle. Additionally, feedback from the community highlighted the conflicts between law enforcement and residents when police enforced laws related to walking and biking. Studies have also shown that laws such as jaywalking regulations are disproportionately enforced in Black and Brown communities, particularly impacting men. In DC’s Vision Zero plan, enforcement efforts focused on dangerous driving behaviors such as speeding, driving under the influence, distracted driving, and reckless driving.
While DC’s Vision Zero plan rightly prioritized behaviors that lead to deaths and serious injuries, it would have been beneficial to recommend a comprehensive evaluation of all transportation laws. Any laws that lacked data support or did not contribute to safer streets could have been removed. If the objective is a data-driven approach, laws should target behaviors that result in crashes leading to severe injuries or fatalities. Furthermore, the plan offered recommendations and strategies but did not go far enough. Following the plan’s release, various communities demanded safer streets. However, resources were allocated based on advocacy rather than being directed towards the areas most in need of investment. In similar situations, it is crucial to establish a framework that prioritizes allocating resources to communities with high rates of fatalities and serious injuries, often coinciding with areas populated by Black, Latino, or low-income residents.
In conclusion, addressing the challenges of an evolving transportation landscape requires reevaluating policies, with an emphasis on inclusivity and the involvement of the people affected by those policies. Vision Zero provides a comprehensive framework for policy transformation, aiming to prevent serious injuries and fatalities resulting from human errors. Washington DC’s implementation of Vision Zero demonstrates the success of extensive public engagement, but improvements can still be made by reevaluating transportation laws and allocating resources to communities with high rates of fatalities and injuries. By adopting a data-driven and equitable approach, we can create safer streets for all.
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Alex Smith is a writer and editor with over 10 years of experience. He has written extensively on a variety of topics, including technology, business, and personal finance. His work has been published in a number of magazines and newspapers, and he is also the author of two books. Alex is passionate about helping people learn and grow, and he believes that writing is a powerful tool for communication and understanding.
