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Safety / Vision Zero

PLANS & RESOURCES

Safety / Vision Zero

Vision Zero

Federal regulations require the TPA to annually adopt safety targets for each of five safety performance measures. In February 2018 and again in February 2019, the TPA Governing Board adopted targets of zero traffic-related fatalities and serious injuries and directed staff to create a Vision Zero Action Plan to progress toward these targets.

Vision Zero Action Plan

The Palm Beach TPA adopted a Vision Zero Action Plan on April 18, 2019. Vision Zero promotes a culture of safety grounded in six key principles:

Traffic-related fatalities and serious injuries are preventable and unacceptable
Human life takes priority over mobility
Human error is inevitable, so the transportation system should allow for it to happen without death or serious injury
A system-level approach to safety should be adopted to effect change
Safe human behaviors, education, and enforcement are essential contributors to a safe system
High speed is a primary cause of traffic death and serious injury; it should be managed with sensitivity to vulnerable road users.

What about Local Roads?

Palm Beach County recently created a Local Road Safety Plan as a pilot project with support from the Federal Highway Administration.

What about Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety?

In 2016, the Palm Beach TPA conducted a Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Study to formally analyze five years of pedestrian and bicyclist crash data in Palm Beach County and develop evidence based recommendations for safety countermeasures, educational strategies, and performance targets. The Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Study was approved by the Palm Beach TPA Governing Board on February 16, 2017. Click here to view the Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Study: At-A-Glance

The Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Study provides information to transportation professionals and community stakeholders intended to result in positive outcomes for nonmotorized safety. Transportation agencies and local government staff can use the document to understand typical crash patterns, identify whether an upcoming project may be within a high crash area, select optimal safety countermeasures, work toward the common goal of implementing countermeasures, and working toward achieving safety targets.