PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A program aimed at making streets better and safer for all commuters is extending its reach from Philadelphia to Delaware County.
Over the last few years, the Vision Zero program has transformed the streets of Philadelphia. You’ve seen it with protected bike lanes, raised crosswalks that create natural speed bumps, and more visible street signs and traffic lights.
“It is a commitment to eliminate traffic fatalities and serious traffic injuries within a community,” said Delaware County Council vice-chair Elaine Paul Schaefer. A recent report shows Vision Zero has helped reduce fatal and serious crashes by 34%, where the city has installed traffic calming measures. That’s a big reason why Council is impressed with the program, and why they’re bringing it to Delco.
They want residents to get involved by becoming safety ambassadors to see what’s happening on their streets, “to really get a good picture of how things are working right now on their roadways and sidewalks and trails, and what improvements could help,” said Schaefer.
She said they want to organically grow the program in Delaware County, not only to make its streets safer for cars and pedestrians, but to make commutes more enjoyable. “Even if you don’t have a fatality or an injury, is it safe and enjoyable to actively transport, not get in a car but get from place A to place B?” she asked.
Over the next few months, Council plans to hold meetings and public listening sessions to get feedback on the roads from residents, as they work to make changes.
“One of the goals of this plan is to get a baseline of where we are right now, in terms of fatalities, in terms of serious injuries, in terms of collisions and near misses,” said Schaefer. “Part of this is getting not only the statistics, but sort of the man on the street viewpoint and perception of how easy and enjoyable it is to get around Delaware County.”