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The redevelopment of public space is at the heart of the City of Milwaukee's Vision Zero project, which aims to reduce the number of traffic fatalities throughout the urban area to zero by 2037. This ambitious program involves numerous investments and a public awareness campaign.
The redevelopment of public space is at the heart of the City of Milwaukee's Vision Zero project, which aims to reduce the number of traffic fatalities throughout the urban area to zero by 2037. This ambitious program involves numerous investments and a public awareness campaign.
The city of Milwaukee, in the United States, has launched the Vision Zero program, which aims to significantly reduce the most serious road traffic accidents, especially those caused by human error.
The first lever for achieving this goal is speed. According to the instigators of this program, speed plays a fundamental role in the severity of road traffic accidents. If a person hit by a motorist traveling at 20 km/h has a 90% chance of surviving, this drops to 60% at 30 km/h, and so on. Priority must therefore be given to reducing speed, by designing safer streets and introducing 30 km/h zones in residential areas.
To make streets safer, infrastructure will need to be adapted to make speeding more difficult. This will involve, for example, reducing the width of certain traffic lanes. In addition, streets will need to be reimagined to encourage walking and cycling. This implies the construction of protected bicycle lanes, as well as wider sidewalks for strollers and wheelchairs, and safer crosswalks. Plus, signs and traffic lights will need to be even more visible in the future.
To raise awareness of the risks associated with dangerous driving, a comprehensive educational program will be provided for all students in the city's public schools. Plus, prevention campaigns will be displayed throughout the city. The Vision Zero plan also calls for the installation of more speed control devices and the systematic punishment of dangerous behavior, such as driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, as well as distracted driving, such as talking on the phone while driving.
The aim is to create a road environment which is as safe as possible, and which minimizes the risk of accidents caused by human error. Investment in this initiative -- both financial and human -- promises to be significant. With this policy, Milwaukee is taking its cue from what is already being done in many major European cities, such as Amsterdam, Milan and Paris.
