HAYWARD CITY COUNCIL
RESOLUTION NO. 23-
Introduced by Council Member
resolution OF THE CITY COUNCIL TO ESTABLISH A VISION ZERO POLICY TO ELIMINATE TRAFFIC DEATHS AND SEVERE INJURIES WHEREAS, City and departmental leadership are dedicated to strategies that aim to reduce and eliminate deaths and serious injuries on City streets; and WHEREAS, from 2017 to 2021, 35 people died and 138 suffered severe, life-changing injuries on streets within the City of Hayward, an average of 7 deaths and 28 severe injuries per year; and WHEREAS, of the people who died in traffic crashes in the City from 2017 to 2021, 51 percent were walking or bicycling; and WHEREAS, seniors, children, people of color, people with disabilities, people in low-income communities, pedestrians, and bicyclists face a disproportionate risk of traffic injuries and fatalities; and WHEREAS, Vision Zero is a public health-based traffic safety strategy to reduce and eventually eliminate traffic deaths and serious injuries using a data-driven, multi- disciplinary, and Safe System approach that also increases safe, healthy, equitable mobility for all; and WHEREAS, Vision Zero recognizes that while human error will always occur, a combination of engineering and non-engineering measures can reduce collisions and can prevent collisions from causing death or severe injuries; and WHEREAS, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has made a commitment to eliminating fatalities and serious injuries on the nation's roadways using a Safe System approach modeled after Vision Zero; and WHEREAS, the State Department of Transportation (Caltrans) has adopted the goal of moving “toward zero deaths” with a focus on using proven effective strategies and countermeasures; and WHEREAS, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) passed a Vision Zero policy in 2020 that identified actions to support Cities like Hayward.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the City declares that Vision Zero is the citywide guiding principle for transportation planning, the design of streets and sidewalks, and the maintenance of the public rights of way.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, DECLARE AND DETERMINE AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1. City shall plan and design its transportation system with the goal of eliminating fatalities and serious injuries among all system users by 2050.
Section 2. City Council directs City staff to prioritize safety when balancing competing needs and demands for space within the public right of way on the high-injury network.
Section 3. Vision Zero will be implemented in an equitable manner, accounting for historic inequities in transportation and safety investments across the Hayward Community.
IN COUNCIL, HAYWARD, CALIFORNIA , 2023
ADOPTED BY THE FOLLOWING VOTE:
AYES: COUNCIL MEMBERS: MAYOR:
NOES: COUNCIL MEMBERS: ABSTAIN: COUNCIL MEMBERS: ABSENT: COUNCIL MEMBERS:
ATTEST:
City Clerk of the City of Hayward
APPROVED AS TO FORM:
City Attorney of the City of Hayward
ATTACHMENT III