Kansas City, Missouri – In a major step to improve traffic safety, the Kansas City Council has authorized a $4 million budget for the Vision Zero project, which aims to completely eliminate traffic fatalities in the city. This initiative is part of a broader effort to make Kansas City streets safer for all users, whether they are drivers, cyclists, or pedestrians.
The funds that have been allocated will go toward several infrastructural upgrades. The city stated in a press release those hundreds of infrastructural improvements made possible by this project will greatly increase community safety. Throughout several council districts, the projects involve adding more than 30 miles of protected mobility lanes and revamping streets. With around 300 Vision Zero initiatives finished or under development in the city to date, there has been a significant investment in safer roads.
Distressing traffic death data issued by the Kansas City Police Department (KCPD) emphasize the need of these actions. Since the beginning of the year, there have been 44 traffic-related deaths until the end of last month, a notable increase from the 32 fatalities reported during the same period last year. Alarmingly, nearly 90% of those deceased were not wearing seatbelts at the time of their accidents.
Most road deaths are preventable, according to KCPD Sgt. Jonathan Rivers, who frequently has to deal with the difficult responsibility of alerting families to such deaths.
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“That is the most difficult thing you can do, as an officer – it takes a toll,” Sgt. Rivers recently said to KCTV. “These crashes are totally preventable when someone dies from not wearing a seatbelt or when someone dies when they’re impaired.”
The Vision Zero Task Force, which includes regional leaders and organizations like the City of Kansas City, the Mid-America Regional Council, and BikeWalkKC, is spearheading these safety initiatives. By 2030, they want to have completely eliminated road fatalities in Kansas City. This fits with the national Vision Zero plan, which some American cities have embraced in order to achieve the same life-saving goal.
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Kansas City is moving decisively in the direction of making its streets safer for its citizens with this additional money and an integrated approach to road safety. The dedication to Vision Zero is an investment in public health and safety as much as in infrastructure.
You can check out the Roadway Safety Project Map here.
