Cotati City Council
Agenda Staff Report
Item type: CONSENT CALENDAR (ACTION)
To: City Council
Subject: Consideration of a Resolution adopting the Sonoma County Vision Zero Action Plan
Date: May 09, 2023
Written by: Jon-Paul Harries, Senior Planner
Recommendation
It is recommended that the City Council adopt a resolution adopting the Sonoma County Vision Zero Action Plan.
Background
In October 2019, the Sonoma County Transportation Authority (SCTA) launched a Vision Zero planning process in partnership with the Sonoma County Department of Health Services (DHS).
This planning process was funded by a Caltrans Sustainable Communities Planning Grant, and included SCTA and DHS staff, members from all ten jurisdictions within Sonoma County, and nonprofit organizations, community members, and public health and safety agencies.
On March 14, 2022, SCTA Board of Directors adopted the final Vision Zero Action Plan (VZAP) and participating agencies are now being asked to adopt the VZAP. The VZAP includes an evaluation of current safety conditions and problem areas, including identification of a “high injury network” and “high injury intersections,” and includes a list of goals and actions that can be implemented to improve safety and that will help the county reach its Vision Zero goal.
Adoption of the VZAP may increase the City's eligibility and competitiveness for future Federal and State grant opportunities and will support numerous General Plan goals including reducing traffic accidents and hazards, providing for safe bicycle, pedestrian, and transit facilities, and reducing greenhouse gases. The VZAP recommendations support the Local Road Safety Plan and the update to the Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan. Adopting a Vision Zero Action Plan confirms the City's ongoing efforts to provide safe and equitable modes of transportation for all and ensures that these strategies and priorities continue to be incorporated moving forward.
Analysis/Discussion
Vision Zero is a strategy to eliminate traffic fatalities and severe injuries among all road users and to ensure safe, healthy, equitable mobility for all. First implemented in Sweden in the 1990s, Vision Zero has proven successful across Europe, and is now gaining momentum in major American cities. Vision Zero's approach to traffic safety is based on the premise that traffic deaths are preventable through an improved roadway environment and policies that lessen the severity of crashes. It is a proactive, comprehensive, and data-driven approach that prioritizes transportation and mobility safety as a public health issue. Speed management, safe and equitable mobility for all modes of transportation, and the prioritization of community engagement are key elements of a Vision Zero strategy and plan. Vision Zero represents a commitment to specific actions that are organized into six high-level goals:
1. Create Safer Speeds
2. Eliminate Impaired Driving
3. Create a Culture of Safety
4. Build Safe Streets for All
5. Make Vehicles Safer and Reduce Private Vehicle Use
6. Improve Data for Effective Decision Making
Using these principles as a foundation, the SCTA and the Sonoma County DHS established the Vision Zero Advisory Committee (VZAC) in October 2019. During the ensuing planning process, extensive community engagement was conducted which included two countywide surveys, three focus groups, a community workshop, and 37 stakeholder interviews involving local jurisdictions, transportation agencies, community organizations and law enforcement. Findings from the surveys, focus groups, and interviews were incorporated into the Draft Action Plan which was presented for discussion and input at a public workshop held virtually on January 25, 2022. After incorporating feedback from the workshop and various community organizations, the Sonoma County VZAP was approved by the SCTA Board on March 14, 2022.
After reviewing the VZAP, City staff is recommending adoption of the VZAP for the following reasons.
1. Adoption may increase the City's future eligibility and competitiveness for grant opportunities.
2. It supports numerous General Plan goals including reducing traffic accidents and hazards, providing for safe bicycle, pedestrian, and transit facilities, and reducing greenhouse gases.
3. The VZAP supports other City initiatives, including the update to the Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan and the Local Road Safety Plan.
4. Adopting a Vision Zero Action Plan supports the City's efforts to provide safe and equitable modes of transportation for all and ensures that these strategies and priorities continue to be implemented moving forward.
Financial Considerations
Adoption of the VZAP does not currently make the City eligible or ineligible for any grant funds to implement the recommended measures. However, the City will continue to fund projects in the Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan, as well as the Local Road Safety Plan using the City’s General Fund and other currently available funding sources. Measures in the VAZP will be folded into these projects and city operations to the degree feasible, subject to staffing and funding availability.
Environmental Issues
This action does not constitute a "project" within the meaning of California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) guidelines Section 15378 and is also exempt under CEQA Guidelines 15262 (planning or feasibility studies). Therefore, no environmental review is required. Future project-specific environmental review will be conducted as required.
Attachments:
Vision_Zero_Action_Plan (PDF)