RESOLUTION NO. 200019

Adopting a goal of eliminating traffic deaths and serious injuries by 2030 and endorsing Vision Zero as a comprehensive and holistic approach to achieving this goal; directing the City Manager to convene a Vision Zero Task Force by May 1, 2020; directing the City Manager to work with the Vision Zero Task Force to create a Vision Zero Action Plan; and directing the City Manager to submit the Vision Zero Action Plan to Council by September 1, 2020.

WHEREAS, 50 to 100 people are killed in traffic crashes in Kansas City each year and hundreds more are seriously injured, constituting a serious public health crisis; and

WHEREAS, serious traffic crashes are entirely preventable through better street design and data-driven enforcement; and

WHEREAS, pedestrians and other vulnerable road users are significantly over-represented among those killed or seriously injured in traffic crashes; and

WHEREAS, the City of Kansas City recently adopted Complete Streets Ordinance No. 170949, with a major focus on safety for all road users, easy access to employment and activity centers for people with limited mobility or access to a car, the inclusion of sidewalks and bicycle paths in capital road projects and new development, and ensuring that the environmental impact of the City’s transportation system is minimized; and

WHEREAS, streets are the public realm and should be designed to a higher standard as beautiful, safe and comfortable places for all people, in order to equitably support the common good; and

WHEREAS, multiple initiatives and events have focused on the need for improvements to traffic safety, including traffic calming demonstrations, safe route to school programming, walk and bike to school day celebrations training and education for appropriate Kansas City, Missouri staff; and

WHEREAS, no City plan comprehensively addresses the multifaceted nature of traffic safety for Kansas City; and

WHEREAS, traffic injuries and fatalities disproportionately harm the elderly, people of color, and people living in low-income communities; and

WHEREAS, Vision Zero or similar initiatives have been adopted or are being developed by multiple U.S. cities and states; and

WHEREAS, multiple boards and commissions, departments and community organizations support the creation of a Vision Zero Task Force, including: Kansas City Regional Transit Alliance, BikeWalkKC, and Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee; and

WHEREAS, Vision Zero aims to achieve zero fatalities and zero serious injuries in the roadway, and has successfully reduced fatalities and serious injuries in cities where it has been implemented; and

WHEREAS, simple design solutions such as road diets, narrower lanes, traffic calming elements, and bicycle lanes are proven to reduce traffic speeds and serious crashes; NOW, THEREFORE,

BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF KANSAS CITY:

Section 1. That the Mayor and Council hereby adopt a goal of eliminating traffic deaths and serious injuries by 2030 and endorse Vision Zero as a comprehensive and holistic approach to achieving this goal; and

Section 2. That the City Manager is directed to convene a Vision Zero Task Force composed of representatives of the Public Works Department, City Planning and Development Department, Office of the City Manager, Parks and Recreation Department, Neighborhoods and Housing Services Department, Water Services Department, Fire Department, Police Department, and any other relevant departments, external agencies, or committees before May 1, 2020.

Section 3. That the City Manager is directed to work with the Vision Zero Task Force to create and implement a Vision Zero Action Plan to reduce traffic fatalities and serious injuries to zero by 2030 through better engineering, education and enforcement. The Vision Zero Action Plan should, without limitation, include the following:

●       Crash data and identification of high injury corridors and intersections;

●       Prioritized project list including no fewer than five semi-permanent projects for rapid implementation;

●       Detailed action plan to reduce speeds citywide;

●       Action plan to reduce distracted and impaired driving;

●       Action plan to engage Kansas Citians in Vision Zero; and

●       Framework for evaluation of outcomes.

Section 4. That the Vision Zero Action Plan will put equity at its forefront, striving to impact the most vulnerable and dependent users of the most dangerous parts of the transportation network to improve the health and well-being of those traveling on streets in the City of Kansas City, and the Plan will use data and community outreach to develop strategies that aim to end death and serious injuries on City streets in an effort to ensure outcomes will be experienced equitably throughout the City.

Section 5. That the Vision Zero Task Force will be responsible for the following, without limitation:

●       Developing and implementing the Vision Zero Action Plan;

●       Ensuring roadway projects comply with best practices in roadway safety design as consistent with the Complete Streets Ordinance No. 170949; Coordinating with DataKC and the Kansas City Police Department to collect and visualize traffic crash data to identify high-injury corridors and intersections through the open data portal; and

●       Begin implementation of five semi-permanent Vision Zero projects no later than September 1, 2021.

Section 6. That the project list identified in the Vision Zero Action Plan will be considered for inclusion in the 5 year capital improvements plan; and

Section 7. Directing the City Manager to present the Vision Zero Action Plan to City Council no later than September 1, 2020.

______________________________________