The Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors unanimously decided Tuesday to implement Vision Zero in the county’s unincorporated areas.
The ambitious traffic safety concept — already in motion in cities like Berkeley and San Francisco — strives to eliminate traffic fatalities and severe injuries through a “safe system” approach emphasizing infrastructure improvements, like redesigned roads, more sidewalks, traffic circles, more signage and other traffic calming measures.
Supervisor Diane Burgis, whose District 3 in East County features lots of rural roads — said she was very impressed and happy with the staff report.
“This isn’t only making the road efficient, it’s also making it safer, and I just appreciate that we are expanding how we approach these types of things to make things after and consider all the different things to make them safer, including the statistics that we see in different places,” Burgis said.
A staff report noted 2,256 traffic collisions resulting in injuries of any severity in unincorporated Contra Costa from 2014 to 2018, and 252 that resulted in people being killed or severely injured (not including freeways). The number of annual collisions increased by 18 percent during those same years.
“The safe system approach understands that humans make mistakes and are vulnerable, but the responsibility is shared, safety is proactive, and redundancy is crucial,” the report says. “The Vision Zero Action Plan aims to support a safety culture that includes education and engagement, cross-sector partnerships, emergency response and post-crash care, emerging technology implementation, and data collection and management.”
The county has analyzed problem areas, including those without bicycle lanes and other areas inadequately protecting pedestrians. Countermeasures will be identified, some engineered and others through media campaigns and community partnerships.
Tuesday’s approval means the county is fulfilling its requirement for the state’s local road safety program, qualifying Contra Costa to receive one Bay Area grant and highway safety improvement program grant funding.
According to the report, Vision Zero “aims to eliminate fatal and severe injuries throughout unincorporated Contra Costa County by 2035.”
“Net Zero” government programs never go away. I’m not for or against this program. Net Zero programs never reach the “zero” goal, so, as long as the paperwork shows effort and meetings are held, they’re funded again next year. Some will read this and think I’m only theorizing.
Don’t you know the government? Even if the goal is reached, it is moved to ensure continued finding and compliance with our overlords.
“The county has analyzed problem areas, including those without bicycle lanes and other areas inadequately protecting pedestrians. “
I thought they just made jaywalking legal?
The biggest problem is not the infrastructure, it’s the drivers. The licensing requirements are a joke and need serious overhaul. The current driver license is really a transportation appliance operator permit that has almost nothing to do with the ability to drive. There is also the issue of distracted and impaired drivers. The things they are talking about are band-aids at best; we need to deal with the root cause of the problem,
+1
I’ve always said, anybody is capable of operating a motor vehicle, but it takes a certain amount of skill to drive one.
@ClayDen
+2
@Dawg
+1
We need vehicle inspections to remove those with any faulty mechanical issues -for instance, brakes, lights, brake lights not working. Of course, the issue is the operator and not the car’s fault.
I agree that drivers and vehicles should be safer, but in terms of what Contra Costa has the power to change, road infrastructure is their job. I think building streets for safety, not speed, is great.
With the arrival of electric bikes and scooters that allow people to do longer journeys, more often, without cars, the streets need to be redesigned to safely accommodate everyone.
@bluebird We absolutely do not need vehicle inspections. This is not New York — we don’t salt the roads and our vehicles do not corrode into piles of rust. We already have SMOG inspections. That’s more than enough.
This is contrary to liberals’ goal of decriminalization jaywalking which, by logic and reasoning, would increase the prevalence of jaywalking and result in more deaths or injuries.
Non-sequitur!
So Ron White, was WRONG ? ? ? ?
You really want to help with cars deaths and accidents. Bring back traffic officers and start enforcing the laws. From what I understand Concord only has two traffic officers to cover all of the city. Just go for a drive anywhere around and the roads have become insane with red light and stop sign runners. People just cutting in with no room at all. Excessive speeds everywhere including residential areas. This idiots have nothing to fear since the chance of getting pulled over is about zero. Also by putting more officers on traffic patrol it would probably reduce crime seeing that a lot of them use stolen cars for there crimes. It would slow down people from other areas coming in to commit crimes seeing that a lot of cars have illegal modifications or other reasons giving officers a right to stop them. Bring back old school law to the roads and write these people up. Chances are a lot of bad habits will go away real quick with there fear of being fined or higher insurance rates for being stupid
Net Zero sounds like a recipe for gridlock. Never trust a Liberal bearing ‘gifts’.
BTW- how will this be funded? Yet another tax?
These Vision Zero programs are PR campaigns. Don’t expect anything other than grandstanding and you won’t be dissspounted.
Irresponsible drivers are the problem.
Fix that.
The rest of it is spending tax dollars and taking bribes.
The government fails the people once again.
What about the increases in car jacking, stolen car getaways, and drive by shootings?
Why not go after the BIG, purposeful, more dangerous lawbreakers first?
Oh yeah, the criminal is now the victim. It’s a progressive thing.
I think someone was just hit near Walnut Creek BART.
A zero goal by 2035 is just…. Silly. . Do we suppose we will eliminate drunk and drugged driving? Or how about people driving too fast in the rain? How ya gonna stop that?
Improving engineering is a good thing , but it’s marginal . Most of the easy stuff has been done.
Traffic jams here we come. They do this to get people out of cars, same with the gas prices. More traffic officers, please.
How about enforcing existing traffic laws first…
I would bet a large number of these incidents are drivers on cell phones distracted. How often does one drive down the street and see where a vehicle has driven off the road and caused damage. Redesigned roads, more sidewalks, traffic circles and other traffic calming measures will make a small dent in these incidents. Until the penalties are stiffer it will continue. Like Cellophane said, irresponsible drivers are the problem.
Funny story … the first time I visit Ho Chi Minh City (pop. 13 million … conservatively) … there were about half dozen traffic lights in the whole metro region … fast forward to the year 2023 … HCMC has about 100 traffic lights … #progress
Traffic circles, they will solve everything…NOT!!!!
They want zero deaths from traffic accidents, so what do they do?
They allow jaywalking.
Makes perfect sense.
What next?
Lower the legal age to drive from sixteen to twelve?
Require a two-drink minimum to get behind the wheel?
Take more police off the streets?
I thought they were already at the highest level of stupid.
I was wrong.
To top it off, they are only worried about traffic safety in unincorporated areas.
Well yeah. The supes only have jurisdiction over unincorporated areas.
Maybe ban seat belts? That should help. I read that lots of “diverse” people don’t wear them, anyway, so the law is obviously racist.
Supervisor Diane Burgis is an idiot. (So Sorry) Glad she won’t run again. If you happen to drive down Marsh Creek or Morgan Territory roads on any weekend the bicyclists are taking up half the lanes riding 3 apart not yielding to approaching motorists. Being there are on bike lanes it seems the more bike riders in the pack the more they ride 4 across ENOUGH.
‘STRIVES to eliminate traffic fatalities…. Already in motion in BERKELEY and SAN FRANCISCO….
The only thing this will do is make the supporters of the feckless democrat government officials momentarily feel good. In the long run, nothing will change, and honest law abiding citizens will foot the bill.
The City of Concord needs to ease the congestion of traffic by eliminating our boulevards being used as freeways for commuters trying to access the freeways. A Bypass diverting the commuters from our residential streets is what is needed. Drivers who commute use residential streets to avoid the backups on the freeways. Landana, Clayton Road and Willow Pass has excessive traffic as well as illegal parking – parking on the sidewalks and street corners. As much money as we pay to afford a house this should be a priority.