Recent Streetsblog CHICAGO posts about vision zero

Organizers of Friday Vigil: We Won’t Wait Until 2026 to Prevent Bike Deaths

By John Greenfield | Sep 28, 2016 | 9 Comments

In the wake of the bike/truck collision that took the life of Anastasia Kondrasheva on Monday, as well as several other recent bike fatality cases, this Friday activists are holding a candlelight vigil and ghost bike installation at the crash site. The organizers say they’re through waiting for the city of Chicago to make progress […]

How Can Chicago Make Sure Vision Zero Benefits Communities of Color?

By John Greenfield | Sep 22, 2016 | No Comments

This article also ran in the Chicago Reader weekly newspaper. In May 2012 the Chicago Department of Transportation released its “Chicago Forward” agenda, including the stated goal of eliminating all traffic deaths by 2022. That target was inspired by the international Vision Zero movement, which began in Sweden in 1997. It’s based on the notion […]

Seattle Moves to Lower Neighborhood Speed Limits to 20 MPH

By Angie Schmitt | Sep 14, 2016 | No Comments

Seattle is getting serious about reducing the threat of lethal motor vehicle speeds. The city is moving to lower speed limits on neighborhood streets from 25 mph to 20 mph later this year. On big arterial streets, the city will determine speed limits on a case-by-case basis, but the default will be reduced from 35 mph to […]

CDOT: Citizen Support is Necessary For Us to Redesign City Streets

By Steven Vance | Sep 8, 2016 | 23 Comments

About 45 “civilians” – people who weren’t obligated to attend – showed up for yesterday’s Mayor’s Bicycle Advisory Council meeting yesterday, making it one of the most democratic MBAC meetings ever. The council, which meets quarterly at City Hall during the workday, usually draws only about 10-15 attendees who aren’t there in an official capacity, many of whom are […]

Better Late Than Never: Chicago Is Finally Moving Forward With Vision Zero

By John Greenfield | Sep 6, 2016 | 6 Comments

Back in 2012, the Chicago Department of Transportation put out the Chicago Forward Action Agenda and the Chicago Pedestrian Plan, with the stated goal of eliminating all traffic fatalities by 2022. Today Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced the city is finally launching a Vision Zero initiative, an interdepartmental effort improve roadway safety, which means we’re finally […]

Francisco Cruz, 58, Fatally Struck by Van Driver While Biking in West Garfield

By Steven Vance and John Greenfield | Aug 18, 2016 | 22 Comments

We will update this post throughout the day as more facts are made available. Francisco Cruz, 58, was struck and killed while biking in West Garfield Park Wednesday night by a cargo van driver who fled the scene. This newest tragedy happened the day after art student Lisa Kuivinen while riding a bike in West Town Tuesday morning. […]

Chicago Needs More Street Redesigns to Reduce Pedestrian and Bike Deaths

By Steven Vance and John Greenfield | Jul 8, 2016 | 9 Comments

Last week the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration released a report showing that all traffic fatalities increased significantly on U.S. roads from 2014 to 2015, by 7.7 percent to reach 35,200, the worst death toll since the 2008 economic crash. Streetsblog USA’s Angie Schmitt pointed out that, while Americans drove 3.5 percent more during this period, that’s “not […]

NYC’s Sadik-Khan Charted Path for Major Street Changes There, Nationwide

By Steven Vance | Apr 1, 2016 | 2 Comments

One of the country’s most successful city transportation commissioners spoke on Tuesday night at the Metropolitan Planning Council about her experience working in New York City for seven years. Janette Sadik-Khan was hired by former mayor Michael Bloomberg in 2007 to implement the radical – for NYC and for that time in the United States – […]

Active Trans Celebrates 30 Years With a New Commitment to Healthy Streets

By John Greenfield | Feb 25, 2016 | 1 Comment

For three decades, the Active Transportation Alliance (formerly the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation) has been advocating for better conditions for bicycling and, in recent years, walking and transit. They marked their 30th anniversary with a fundraiser on Monday at Germania Place, and more than 250 supporters turned out to celebrate the occasion. During the event the […]

Chicago Joins Vision Zero Network While Pedestrian Fatality Rate is in Flux

By Steven Vance | Feb 4, 2016 | 8 Comments

At yesterday’s quarterly meeting of the Mayor’s Pedestrian Advisory Council, Chicago Department of Transportation commissioner Rebekah Scheinfeld mentioned the “somber” statistics that there was a significant increase in Chicago pedestrian fatalities in 2015 compared to previous years. There were 35 pedestrian deaths in the city in 2014, according to official Illinois Department of Transportation figures, and […]

What Will It Take for Houston to Eliminate Traffic Deaths?

By Angie Schmitt | Jan 20, 2016 | No Comments

In 2014, 227 people were killed in traffic collisions in Houston. Per capita, that means the city’s streets are more than three times as deadly as New York City’s. Despite the toll, there’s a culture of acceptance surrounding traffic violence in Houston. Now a group of local advocates are trying to change that. Houston Tomorrow, a local think tank devoted […]

Texas DOT Isn’t Learning From Its Horrific Road Fatalities Calendar

By Angie Schmitt | Jan 8, 2016 | No Comments

This calendar is published by the Texas Department of Transportation as part of its traffic safety efforts. It shows how many fatal collisions and traffic deaths happened every day of the year. On average, someone is killed every two and a half hours on Texas streets, and someone is injured every two minutes, according to TxDOT [PDF]. Texas hasn’t had a day […]

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