In 2023, Fresno received funding to establish a “Vision Zero Plan.” The strategy to eliminate traffic fatalities in Fresno continues to take shape. In late 2024, the first Vision Zero Task Force meeting took place. The first public engagement meetings are scheduled to run from November 2024 and into 2025.
What Is Vision Zero?
The Vision Zero safety program is utilized in hundreds of U.S. and California cities to help reduce severe injuries and deaths caused by traffic accidents.
By an established end date, city leaders and organizers pledge to reduce traffic fatalities and severe injuries to zero.
Local government and community leaders, including bicycle coalition members, and the public, all contribute to making Vision Zero a reality.
The blueprint usually includes changes to a city’s infrastructure and the passage of stricter traffic laws. The redesign of intersections and the installation of more bike lanes are major components.
A large-scale publicity campaign also coincides to alert the public to the goal and emphasize the need for greater caution from every driver.
Fresno’s Vision Zero Action Plan Takes Shape
Fresno has never joined the Vision Zero initiative, but the money is now in place to get started. KSEE-TV reported that Fresno accepted a $400,000 grant from the U.S. DOT in early 2023.
The funds are earmarked to improve road safety through the development of a local Vision Zero program. The City of Fresno also chipped in an additional $100,000 to help support development.
The City’s Public Works Department was tasked with developing a Vision Zero Action Plan. Momentum has been building and now the first Vision Zero Task Force meeting is in the books.
According to Anthony Molina of the Fresno County Bicycle Coalition, the group gathered on September 23, 2024. The Vision Zero Action Plan process has just started and the first VZ Taskforce Meeting was held on September 23. Members of The Fresno County Bicycle Coalition (FCBC) were in attendance. Leaders with the Active Transportation Advisory Committee (ATAC) and City Public Works Staff took part. Consultants with Toole Design also participated.
With wheels in motion, planning continues into 2025. The city meets with Community Based Organization stakeholders on October 30, 2024. Public engagement meetings are slated to begin in November and run through early 2025.
Vision Zero Input from the Fresno County Bicycle Coalition
Leaders with local bicycle clubs and advocacy groups have plenty of ideas on how to make busy Fresno Streets safer. Anthony Molina with the FCBC feels that Fresno needs to establish some short and long-term goals to protect all roadway users.
He feels that Vision Zero would help bring about critical changes on local streets for those who walk and ride.
“The Vision Zero Action Plan that is now in the initial stages of development would identify a “high injury network”, i.e. the most hazardous streets, that could then be evaluated for redesign to include traffic calming countermeasures that reduce traffic speeds and reduce risk to vulnerable road users.”
Anthony Molina
Chair, Fresno County Bicycle Coalition
Statistics Behind Fresno’s Pedestrian and Cyclist Accident Risks
Previous projects like Fresno’s Active Transportation Plan (ATP) created in 2016 have brought some safety improvements to local streets. However, annual traffic data shows an increasing level of danger for anyone who uses area roadways. These are the stunning numbers from records kept at California’s Transportation Injury Mapping System (TIMS).
- Vehicle Collisions: In 2023, Fresno recorded at least 1,586 car accidents involving injuries resulting in 51 tragic fatalities. Those heartbreaking numbers continue along the alarming levels from 2022 when there were 1,709 serious accidents and at least 68 lives lost.
- Bicycle Accidents: In 2023, Fresno recorded at least 91 cycling accidents involving injuries. At least two tragic deaths were reported. Those shocking numbers continued an upward trend from 2022 when there were 87 serious accidents and at least 7 lives lost.
- Pedestrian Accidents: In 2023, Fresno recorded at least 187 accidents involving injuries to those traveling on foot. At least 21 tragic deaths were reported. Those numbers continued an upward trend from 2022 when there were 183 serious accidents and at least 34 lives lost.
Hope for a Safe Finish to 2024 and Beyond On Fresno Streets
It may be a while before 2024 traffic accident data is totaled, but it’s a likely bet that the extreme dangers to Fresno’s pedestrians and cyclists will remain glaringly apparent.
The improvements that a Vision Zero Plan can bring to California cities have been proven everywhere from Los Angeles to San Jose to San Francisco. It’s time that Fresno adopted its own strategy for a future where all cyclists and pedestrians are allowed to return home safely.
The planning stages are underway, and everyone in Fresno deserves a say in what a Vision Zero future should look like. Without goals, improvement is rarely achieved. The Vision Zero push is something worth monitoring and participating in. The safety achievements that could be reached in two, five, and ten years start right here with us, right now.
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