COMMITTEE
SUBSTITUTE FOR 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 August 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 December 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 August 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
December 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 December 1, 2020.
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