Of the ten largest cities in the nation, Houston, Dallas, and Phoenix are the only ones left without a Vision Zero Action Plan to end traffic deaths and serious injuries. As documented in the Houston Chronicle series of reports, Houston is one of the most dangerous transportation systems in the nation.
First published in print in Houstonia magazine, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner has directed the Planning and Development Department “to explore what Vision Zero looks like for the City of Houston,” according to a presentation by Lauren Grove at the City of Houston Bicycle Advisory Committee meeting on January 16.
You can watch the discussion in the following video beginning at the 45 minute mark:
The presentation indicates that the City of Houston expects to have an executive order ready for Mayor Sylvester Turner to launch the program in May 2019, following months of collaboration between various departments across the City, as well as assistance from the Federal Highway Administration, the Vision Zero Network, Vision Zero programs in other Texas cities, and Farm&City.
The Bicycle Advisory Committee unanimously voted to ask the Planning Department to create a resolution supporting the Vision Zero effort and that their policy view is that “the only acceptable number of preventable traffic deaths is none.”
One of the major goals of Farm&City this year – through our Vision Zero Texas work – is for at least ten Texas cities, counties, or MPOs to have adopted or started Vision Zero Action Plans to end traffic deaths and serious injuries. So far, the cities of Austin and San Antonio are the only jurisdictions in Texas, but we expect several other cities and counties to be acting alongside the City of Houston soon.