SF Named a New Vision Zero Focus City

There is safety in numbers.

That’s true in more ways than one, which is why we're proud to share that San Francisco is one of the 10 cities across the nation today to be named as a member of the new Vision Zero Focus Cities program.

The program creates a network of early-adopter Vision Zero cities to build a common approach to ending fatalities on our streets. This stepped-up collaboration, organized by the Vision Zero Network, a national nonprofit, will allow member cities to develop and share winning strategies to eliminate traffic fatalities and severe injuries.

San Franciscans cross 14th Street at Church on a zebra-striped crosswalk, one small street improvement to make pedestrians more visible to motorists. Photo taken October 1, 2015.

“These cities are the pioneers who will save lives by modernizing our approach to traffic safety,” said Leah Shahum, director of the Vision Zero Network and former executive director of the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition. “For too long, communities have accepted traffic fatalities and injuries as normal. The Vision Zero Focus Cities are standing up to challenge ‘business as usual’ and to show cities around the world that these tragedies are unacceptable and preventable.”

Vision Zero is a policy to build safety and livability into our streets to eliminate traffic deaths. It began in Sweden in 1997. Traffic deaths have been cut in half there since its implementation. San Francisco — led by Mayor Ed Lee and the entire Board of Supervisors — joined the effort in 2014 and committed to eliminate traffic fatalities by 2024. 

The SFMTA is working closely with the Department of Public Health, Police Department, Public Works, Fire Department and other city agencies to coordinate education, engineering and enforcement to achieve this. In November the SFMTA completed 24 priority safety projects months ahead of schedule. More are on the way. The city’s many efforts include pursuing legislation to support automated speed enforcement, which has been successfully used in cities like Washington D.C., Chicago, New York and Portland to reduce traffic deaths and curb excessive speed.  

“San Francisco is building safer, better streets, educating the public about traffic safety and increasing enforcement to better protect our residents and reach our Vision Zero goals,” Lee said in today’s announcement on the creation of the Vision Zero Focus Cities program. “We are using a data-driven, multi-disciplinary approach to make our streets safer for all road users — those walking, bicycling, driving, and taking transit — and we are proud to participate in the national Vision Zero Focus Cities program.”

The National Association of City Transportation Officials, also known as NACTO, is partnering with the Vision Zero Network to support the local transportation leaders within the Focus Cities. San Francisco is joined in the program by:  

Austin, TX

Boston, MA

Chicago, IL

Fort Lauderdale, FL

Los Angeles, CA

New York City, NY

Portland, OR

Seattle, WA

Washington, D.C.

“Together, as Vision Zero Focus Cities,” New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said, “we can protect our families and strengthen our communities.”

Find more information about the Vision Zero Network at visionzeronetwork.org.

Find out more information about San Francisco’s Vision Zero efforts at visionzerosf.org.