Vision Zero in LTA Master Plan 2024

I'm excited to see "Vision Zero" mentioned in the latest LTA Master Plan LTMP 2024. Is this the first time in the LTMP?

Vision Zero is a multi-national road traffic safety project that aims to achieve a highway system with no fatalities or serious injuries involving road traffic. Originating in Sweden in the late 1990s, the concept has since been adopted by numerous cities and countries worldwide. The core principles and goals of Vision Zero include:

1. No Loss of Life is Acceptable: Vision Zero is based on the belief that no one should be killed or seriously injured in road traffic accidents. The goal is to reduce road fatalities and serious injuries to zero.
2. Human Error is Inevitable: Vision Zero recognizes that people will make mistakes and that the road system should be designed to accommodate those errors without resulting in severe injury or death.
3. Safety Over Speed and Efficiency: The initiative often involves measures to prioritize safety over speed and traffic efficiency. This can include reducing speed limits, redesigning roads, and improving pedestrian and cyclist infrastructure.
4. Shared Responsibility: Vision Zero asserts that responsibility for road safety is shared between system designers (including policymakers, planners, and engineers) and road users (drivers, pedestrians, cyclists).
5. Systematic Approach: Vision Zero promotes a holistic and systematic approach to road safety. This includes engineering, enforcement, education, and emergency response improvements.
6. Proactive and Preventive Measures: The initiative encourages proactive and preventive measures rather than reactive responses to road safety issues. This includes data-driven approaches to identify and address potential hazards before accidents occur.

Some specific strategies employed by Vision Zero include:

• Lowering Speed Limits: Lowering speed limits in urban areas to reduce the severity of collisions.
• Road Design: Implementing road designs that naturally slow down traffic, such as narrower lanes, roundabouts, and pedestrian islands.
• Enhanced Crossings: Improving pedestrian crossings with better signage, lighting, and signal timings.
• Traffic Calming Measures: Using speed bumps, raised crosswalks, and chicanes to slow down traffic in residential areas.
• Public Awareness Campaigns: Educate the public about safe driving practices and the importance of road safety for all users.

By adopting these strategies and principles, Vision Zero aims to create a safer transportation system where no one is killed or seriously injured.

LTMP 2024 report (PDF, 8MB)