Although Austin has fewer overall automobile crashes than other major Texas cities, the percentage of crashes involving serious injury or death of a pedestrian is still at the same rate — 27.9 percent– as other large Texas cities. That is one conclusion of the special report from the Austin City Auditor’s Office. Council members Zo […]
Vision Zero
Posted inTransportation
A decade of Vision Zero shows progress on crashes and injuries, not on deaths
On Monday afternoon, city leaders and transportation policymakers gathered to celebrate the unveiling of Vision Zero’s 10 Year Report on Austin’s progress toward making traffic deaths a thing of the past. “Traffic crashes aren’t accidents. They are preventable,” said Mayor Pro Tem Vanessa Fuentes during the press conference Monday. “They are a public health crisis, […]
Posted inRoads
Vision Zero’s improvements to protected left turns cut traffic injuries and fatalities in half
In May, the city’s Transportation and Public Works Department and Vision Zero program announced that its Barton Springs Road safety pilot program – which reduced the road to one lane in each direction between Azie Morton Road and South Lamar Boulevard, added lanes at intersections and relocated bus stops to places with crossings – has […]
Posted inTransportation
Vision Zero analysis reveals drugs or alcohol involved in higher percentage of traffic fatalities than state data shows
An analysis by Austin’s Vision Zero initiative found that the presence of drugs or alcohol among Travis County traffic fatalities is higher than previously thought. Vision Zero Analytics is a series of white papers by the Austin Transportation and Public Works Department as part of the overall effort to significantly reduce fatalities and serious injuries […]
Posted inPublic Health
Traffic fatalities surpass pre-pandemic levels in continued ‘public health crisis’
The number of people seriously injured or killed on Austin roadways over the past two years is higher than pre-pandemic levels, according to an update released late last month by the city’s Vision Zero program. The report says that 1,287 people were seriously injured or killed on Austin roadways during 2021 and 2022, compared to […]
Posted inTransportation
Austin to receive $22.9 million federal grant for safer roads
On Feb. 1, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced an $800 million grant award through the new Safe Streets and Roads for All, or SS4A program, allocating $72.7 million to cities and counties throughout Texas. Over the next five years, the grant program will provide $5 billion for “regional, local and tribal initiatives to prevent deaths and […]
Posted inTransportation
Pedestrians accounting for a higher proportion of Austin traffic fatalities
Despite city efforts to implement its Vision Zero strategy and end traffic fatalities in Austin, crash deaths and injuries are on the rise. Pedestrians in particular are accounting for a higher percentage of fatalities. So, what can the city do to start making an impact? During a Monday update at the Public Safety Commission, Lewis […]
Posted inTransportation
Transportation officials ponder whether prohibiting right turns on red will save lives
Crashes in Austin this year are seeing grim trends like motorcyclist fatalities that have exceeded last year’s and overall fatalities nearing 2021’s totals. However, the Vision Zero program, a framework that aims to end traffic-related deaths and serious injuries, pointed to some successes and shared ideas that other cities have taken up to improve roadways that […]
Posted inPublic Safety
Crash deaths, injuries on the rise despite Vision Zero interventions
Traffic-related fatalities and serious injuries in the city of Austin have increased in 2022 compared with the five-year average, highlighting the barriers that stand in the way of the city’s Vision Zero goals. The Vision Zero program, which originated in Sweden in the 1990s, aims to end traffic-related fatalities and serious injuries. City Council adopted […]
Posted inTransportation
Austin explores increasing traffic enforcement to reduce growing fatalities
In a memo sent Wednesday, Austin’s police and transportation departments updated City Council on strategies to reduce an increasing number of severe crashes and fatalities on the city’s streets and highways. In 2021, there was the highest number of traffic fatalities on record, and 2022 is on track to surpass it, according to the memo. […]
Posted inRoads
Vision Zero initiative brings second rollout of speed limit reductions
City Council slipped a number of roadway changes through its brief, sentimental meeting this past Thursday, passing several ordinances that will lower the speed limit on a number of roads in Southwest, Southeast and Northeast Austin. Prioritized sections of Convict Hill Road, Salt Springs Drive, Nuckols Crossing Road, St. Elmo Road, and West Yager Lane […]
Posted inTransportation
Vision Zero initiative beginning to reduce some types of car crashes
A representative from Austin’s Transportation Department appeared before City Council’s Mobility Committee Tuesday to give an update on Vision Zero, the city’s goal to eliminate traffic-related fatalities and serious injuries. While traffic fatalities have been on the rise over the past few years, serious injuries have been trending downward. Nevertheless, early evidence shows that Vision […]