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Receive Update and Provide Guidance on Vision Zero.
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Staff:
Department:
Colleen Willger, Director
Planning
Bergen Watterson, Transportation Planning Manager
Jordan Powell, Complete Streets Specialist
Overview:
Chapel Hill has a history of working on pedestrian safety initiatives, through the work of the internal bike and pedestrian team, the Mobility and Connectivity Plan, and the Pedestrian Safety Action Plan. Town staff recommends organizing these existing structures under the umbrella of Vision Zero by adopting a Vision Zero resolution. Town Council can set the tone and direction for Vision Zero through an official commitment to policies and practices that prioritize the safety of all road users in Chapel Hill, with town-wide, organizational support to this commitment.
Vision Zero considers traffic deaths and serious injuries to be preventable, and that policy and street design should prioritize safety rather than vehicular speed and efficiency in order to lessen the severity of crashes. Safety of vulnerable road users would be integral in transportation decision-making, from Traffic Impact Analyses and road restriping to intersection design and traffic signal phasing.
Recommendation(s):
That the Council provide feedback on the proposed Vision Zero resolution.
Key Issues:
By adopting a Vision Zero resolution, Chapel Hill would:
* Establish a strategy to eliminate all traffic fatalities and severe injuries, while increasing safe, healthy, equitable mobility for all.
* Join Apex, Charlotte, Durham, Greenville, Greensboro, Mooresville, Raleigh, Robeson, Wilmington, and the State of North Carolina. Involvement in this initiative will make the Town's commitment even stronger.
* Be part of a larger movement. Currently 20% of American cities with a population larger than 20,000 are considering or have adopted Vision Zero, and advocates are pushing for a national Vision Zero Resolution. The acceleration of adoptions will speed up, as will the...
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