Results: This survey is about "Vision Zero" a program that began in Sweden in 1997 with the goal "no one should be killed or seriously injured on the road system. The structure and function of that system must be brought into line with the demands of that goal."
The traffic safety movement has saved lives across the European countries that adopted its principles. But in the U.S., deaths in participating cities have continued to rise. In the US at least ‘Vision Zero’ has hit a wall. Los Angeles, a city famously built around the automobile, has long been a dangerous place to walk. On a recent visit to LA we were in an hotel directly across a broad boulevard from a tourist attraction and found it almost impossible to cross over legally without walking a city block to the next intersection and back on the other side or illegally by jaywalking when the time it took to cross was more than any gap in the traffic. We decided to do it legally and were stopped by police who found the sight of a family walking highly suspicious. We explained that we were Canadian which seemed to explain everything.
1.
1.
My home town has adopted the Vision Zero program with limited success. Not only are pedestrians being killed in collisions with moving vehicles, there has been an increase in "hit and run" situations, which in a Canadian winter can turn a minor injury into a fatal one. How many of the following hazards are present in your own home town that increase the risk for pedestrians.. The lines denoting a crosswalk are white, worn out, sparse and almost invisible after dark.
29%
•
619 votes
There is no extra lighting denoting a crosswalk to alert drivers.
28%
•
590 votes
Drivers are allowed to turn left in front of oncoming traffic and into the crosswalk while their attention is focused on vehicles and not pedestrians.
25%
•
526 votes
Drivers are allowed to turn right at a red light and into the crosswalk while their attention is focused on vehicles approaching on their left.
38%
•
805 votes
The amount of time allowed for pedestrians to cross assumes they are young, fit and agile and not parents with children, people with physical limitations or the elderly.
33%
•
685 votes
Other (please specify)
1%
•
20 votes
Not Applicable
39%
•
828 votes
- Someone I know was hit and the guy wanted them to pay for the damage to his car!
- no
- No
2.
2.
As a driver there are additional hazards that increase the likelihood that a deadly mix of vehicles and pedestrians will take place. Which of the following have you faced in your regular driving? As in the previous question, poorly lit crosswalks and/or road markings that are poorly maintained.
24%
•
512 votes
Intersections that allow pedestrians to cross at the same time vehicles are turning left or right.
32%
•
667 votes
The time allowed for pedestrians to cross eats into the time that drivers have a green light so there is competition between drivers and pedestrians.
29%
•
613 votes
Pedestrians are distracted by smartphones, their morning coffee, listening to music or in casual conversation with a fellow human and are not looking out for vehicles.
40%
•
848 votes
Other (please specify)
1%
•
20 votes
Not Applicable
40%
•
843 votes
- No
- No
- No.
3.
3.
Vision Zero's track record in the U.S. contrasts sharply with Europe, where road deaths have been drifting downward for years. In 2019, Helsinki had three traffic fatalities and none was a pedestrian or cyclist. For comparison, Las Vegas, a Vision Zero city where 304 people died on the road that same year has roughly as many residents. Vision Zero assumes that human beings are fallible. As a result policies are designed to reduce the harm caused when travellers, especially drivers, inevitably make mistakes. If cars are lighter or moving at a slower speed, for instance, a collision is more likely to result in an injury instead of a death. Separating cyclists from car traffic improves safety; blocking off a street or neighbourhood from cars is even better. The US has traditionally emphasized an individual's responsibility to travel safely however. If a person shows up to do the actual project down the street from your house such as a bike or bus lane it can feel like an assault on your way of life because for generations, the US way of life has revolved around the car. Which of the following initiatives would you support? Installing traffic cameras such as speed cameras, red light cameras etc.
29%
•
613 votes
Creating separated bike lanes
32%
•
664 votes
Slowing down traffic
30%
•
638 votes
Blocking streets to vehicular traffic.
15%
•
313 votes
Prioritizing road safety over traffic speed and/or smoothness..
25%
•
534 votes
Add pedestrian crashworthiness ratings to the crash test program as Europe did over 20 years ago.
18%
•
374 votes
Other (please specify)
1%
•
23 votes
Not Applicable
37%
•
786 votes
- Who is/was Calvin Coolidge?
- of course
- Yes, that is very concerning
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