Title
Staff Report for a City of San Leandro City Council Resolution to Establish a Vision Zero Policy
Staffreport
SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Staff recommends approval of a City of San Leandro City Council Resolution establishing a Vision Zero transportation safety policy to work towards zero traffic deaths and severe injuries.
BACKGROUND
In the U.S., more than 40,000 people are killed each year, an average of about 100 people per day. These fatalities continue to rise. These tragedies are unacceptable and can be prevented when taking a proactive and preventative approach that prioritizes traffic safety. Vision Zero is a strategy to eliminate traffic fatalities and severe injuries that is being adopted by a growing number of communities across the globe. Vision Zero was first initiated in 1997 by Sweden as a street safety policy. Over the subsequent decade, many European nations adopted Vision Zero programs and achieved significant fatality reductions. In the last decade, cities in the United States adopted Vision Zero as a policy direction and prepared specific action plans for their communities, including nearby cities of Alameda, Berkeley, Fremont, and Lafayette. Vision Zero has become the official United States Department of Transportation and Caltrans commitment in the last year. The Safe System approach was adopted as the implementation strategy for the national and state Vision Zero goals. The Safe System approach provides tools and strategies to get to zero deaths and severe injuries through creating safe speeds, safe roads, responsive and quality post-crash care, safe road users, and safe vehicles.
Analysis
Implementing a Vision Zero traffic safety policy will require leadership and a commitment to safety, implementation of safe roadways and safe speeds, ongoing transparent use of data, and equitable community engagement.
As a next step, staff proposes to prepare a report documenting current safety statistics and trends, current practices and programs, and a list of future actions. Following the collection and analysis of traffic crash data, staff proposes to release a report and action plan in late 2022.
Adopting Vision Zero provides a safety framework for San Leandro. From here, the City will use getting to zero deaths and severe injuries as guideposts for decision making on engineering and planning projects. Staff will evaluate and recommend modifications to the existing standards and policies and design practices with the goal of improving roadway safety for all users. Vision Zero is a fundamental paradigm shift in how the City and community makes decisions about public streets.
Current Agency Policies
• Maintain and enhance San Leandro’s infrastructure
Applicable General Plan Policies
Goal T-2: Design and operate streets to be safe, attractive, and accessible for all transportation users whether they are pedestrians, bicyclists, transit riders or motorists, regardless of age or ability.
Environmental Review
Approval to develop planning documents is statutorily exempt from further review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15061(b)(3), the general rule that CEQA applies only to projects that have the potential for causing a significant effect on the environment. Adoption of the Vision Zero Policy does not have the potential for causing a significant effect on the environment. Any future physical changes to the environment or roadway network that requires discretionary action by the City Council will be subject to future environmental review.
Fiscal Impacts
Adoption of the proposed policy will not have a direct financial impact. Staff resources are allocated in the recently adopted two-year budget to evaluate existing standards and requirements and identify needed changes to implement the policy. Future recommended capital expenditures to make changes to City infrastructure consistent with the Vision Zero policy will be evaluated during the annual review of the City Budget and Capital Improvement Plan.
PREPARED BY: Sheila Marquises, Acting Director, Engineering and Transportation Department