Sunnyvale Passes World Class Vision Zero Plan

City of Sunnyvale became the 2nd city in Santa Clara County to pass a Vision Zero (VZ) Plan on July 30th. Thank you, Sunnyvale City council, for approving this groundbreaking plan and to our advocates in the community who have been championing this for a long time. Vision Zero is one of SVBC’s main initiatives and is a systematic program that is spreading around the world to make our streets safe for all users. The intent of Vision Zero is to eliminate all traffic fatalities and major injuries by treating all collisions as preventable and then planning and implementing changes to make that happen.Sunnyvale’s Vision StatementSunnyvale Vision Zero is a community-driven and data-driven initiative to eliminate all traffic fatalities and serious injuries. In the coming years, Sunnyvale will aim to reduce collisions through improved transportation infrastructure and programming, achieving a 50 percent reduction in fatalities and serious injuries by 2029 and continued progress towards zero in the ten years that follow. Here is a link to the draft Sunnyvale Vision Zero Plan (56 pages). https://sunnyvale.ca.gov/civicax/filebank/blobdload.aspx?t=55699.7&BlobID=26465Vision Zero Guiding Principles1. Traffic deaths are unacceptable and preventable.2. Transportation options should be safe for all users, for all modes of transportation, in all communities, and for people of all ages and abilities.3. Safety takes priority over efficiency.4. Actions toward Vision Zero should embody a quantitative, collaborative, and equitable approach.5. Human error is inevitable and unpredictable; the transportation system should be designed to anticipate error and minimize injury severity.6. Speed is a fundamental predictor of collisions’ severity. The transportation system should be designed for speeds that safely accommodate all modes of travel.7. Ongoing evaluation should measure performance against the Sunnyvale Vision Zero Plan objectives.Recommended top three Vision Zero projects areas in Sunnyvale1. El Camino Real between S. Mary Avenue and S. Mathilda Avenue2. El Camino Real between S. Taaffe Street and S. Fair Oaks Avenue3. El Camino Real, E. Fremont Avenue, and S. Wolfe Road (intersection)It is clear that El Camino Real is the most dangerous road in Sunnyvale. The same can be said for most cities which are on El Camino Real. El Camino has a higher rate of collisions than other streets in San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties and it is a barrier for people to get from home to work, school, and shopping. That is why SVBC has been pushing for safer bike facilities along El Camino Real for years.Sunnyvale will be using its new Vision Zero Plan as an input into two new plans. Sunnyvale is developing an Active Transportation Plan and updating its El Camino Real Corridor Specific Plan. Both of these plans need your input to make sure the goals of the vision zero plan are achieved. If you want to join the Sunnyvale SVBC local team advocating for these and other improvements in Sunnyvale, click here. Our blog has more details about these two projects.Other Cities’ Vision Zero ProgressSVBC is currently advocating for City of Santa Clara to accelerate when they plan to begin working on their Vision Zero policy and plan. Santa Clara’s new Bicycle Master Plan Update 2018 calls for completing a Vision Zero plan by 2024. The Bicycle Master Plan Update will go to the council for approval this fall. We urge everyone to ask the council to start the plan by 2021 and complete it by 2022. Click here if you want to join on Santa Clara SVBC team advocating for this and other improvements in Santa Clara.The City of Mountain View is drafting a Vision Zero policy. The draft policy is going to the Mountain View BPAC for input this fall. Click here if you want to join on Mountain View SVBC team advocating for this and other improvements in Mountain View.The City of San Jose was the first City in Santa Clara County to adopt Vision Zero when it passed its Vision Zero plan in 2015. Here is the link to 2017/18 update. San Jose is currently working on its 2020/21 Vision Zero two-year action plan and will present it for approval to the Transportation and Environment committee on Nov 4th. If you want to join on San Jose SVBC local team advocating for this and other improvements in San Jose, click here. More about Vision Zero efforts in San Jose.