What is Vision Zero?
Vision Zero is a strategy to eliminate all traffic fatalities and severe injuries, while increasing safe, healthy, equitable mobility for all.
Traffic deaths and severe injuries are seen as an inevitable side effect of our current transport system. We hear fatal and severe crashes described as ‘accidents’, but these life-changing tragedies are preventable.
Vision Zero is a proactive and preventative approach that prioritises traffic safety.
Oxford’s approach now
- Traffic deaths are inevitable
- Assumes people will behave perfectly
- Reduce collisions
- Road user responsible for safety
- Saving lives is expensive
Vision Zero
- Traffic deaths are preventable
- Assumes people will make mistakes
- Prevent fatal and severe crashes
- Road system is responsible for safety
- Failing to save lives is expensive
We are campaigning for:
- High quality protected cycle lanes reduce conflicts with motor vehicles, especially HGVs which cause a disproportionately large number of serious and fatal cycling crashes.
- Safe junctions and crossings for people walking and cycling because this is where fatalities and and serious injuries are most likely to happen.
- A 20 mph speed limit across the city would reduce the severity and frequency of road casualties.
- Safety standards for HGVs coming into the city and their drivers trained in safe urban driving.
- A significant reduction in car trips makes roads safer for walking and cycling. We need to replace or remove 1 out of every 2 current car trips in Oxford by 2030.