Vision Zero
Improving traffic safety positively affects everyone who walks, bikes, drives or takes public transportation on our sidewalks, streets, and trails. It’s important that we all work together to make our transportation system as safe as possible.
Vision Zero is strategy being used around the world to eliminate traffic fatalities and severe injuries while also increasing safe and equitable transportation options. The City of Longmont adopted Vision Zero in 2023 with the goal of reducing traffic deaths and severe injuries on city roadways to zero by 2040.
Vision Zero uses the human-centered Safe Systems Approach which is based on the following principles:
- People Make Mistakes: Our transportation system should be designed and operated to account for those mistakes and to avoid death and severe injuries.
- People Are Vulnerable: Human bodies have limits for tolerating crash forces, so we should design and operate our transportation system to protect them.
- Safety is Proactive: Strategies should proactively identify and mitigate risks in the transportation system, rather than waiting for crashes to occur before reacting.
- Death and Serious Injury is Unacceptable: While the ideal goal would be no crashes at all, the Safe System Approach prioritizes reducing crashes that result in the loss of life and serious injuries.
- Responsibility is Shared: All transportation system users, managers, suppliers and manufactures must do their part to ensure that crashes do not result in fatal or serious injuries.
- Redundancy is Crucial: Reducing risks requires that all parts of the transportation system are strengthened, so that if one part fails, the other parts still protect people.
Learn more from these resources:
The U.S. Department of Transportation: Safe System Approach
The Vision Zero Network: Demystifying the Safe System Approach and What is Vison Zero?
Has your life or the life of someone you know been impacted by a roadway crash? Are you passionate about creating safer local transportation systems for everyone? Would you be willing to volunteer to help educate and inspire others on these important issues?
WE NEED YOUR HELP to change the way Longmont builds, rebuilds, and manages our transportation system. Join Longmont’s Vision Zero Task Force to learn more about Vison Zero, plan and/or support community events and develop Longmont’s Vision Zero action plan. We can’t do this important work without you!
Task Force meetings will be held monthly with the 2024 meetings focusing on learning about Vision
2024 Task Force Meetings Schedule:
- November 18 – learn more and register
- December 16
Task Force meetings will be held 6-7:30 pm in the City Council Chambers at the Longmont Civic Center (350 Kimbark St.).Snacks and drinks will be provided and Spanish interpretation is available upon request by calling 303-651-8441.
Sign up to receive email updates about Longmont’s Vision Zero projects and future opportunities to help.
If you are a member of a community organization or group and would like a Vision Zero presentation in English or Spanish at an upcoming meeting, please contact us at vision.zero@longmontcolorado.gov or 303-651-8441.
If you have any questions about Vision Zero, please contact Vision.Zero@longmontcolorado.gov.Â
Media inquiries: contact Longmont’s Public Information Officer, Rogelio Mares at rogelio.mares@longmontcolorado.gov.Â
Longmont held its first ever World Day of Remembrance event on Nov 3 to honor road crash victims. Thank you to everyone who came to honor those in the Longmont community who have been killed, seriously injured, or otherwise negatively impacted by a traffic crash.
The City has adopted the Vision Zero public health approach to eliminate traffic fatalities and serious injuries by 204. The success of this work is dependent on community members working together to create a plan that works best for Longmont. Vision Zero events and community meetings are open people of all ages. Please find more information above and sign up to receive email updates.
