Vision Zero Anchorage is a community commitment to reduce the loss of life and major injuries on roadways to zero. This is a data-driven and coordinated approach to designing safer streets, public education, evaluating what works, and enforcing the best laws. Streets should be safe for everyone, regardless of whether you travel by foot, in a car, on the bus, on a bike, or by other means. Vision Zero puts the safety of human life above all else.

Review the Vision Zero Action Plan

Anchorage Traffic Statistics

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, there were 81 traffic fatalities in Anchorage between 2010 and 2014. Although 5% of people walk, bike, and ride motorcycles as their primary mode of transportation in Anchorage, combined they make up 52% of the traffic fatalities (Source: Regional Household Travel Survey, 2014 and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration).

Vision Zero Focus Areas – the Five E's

1. Engineering

Physical changes to streets that calm traffic, reduce speeds, minimize conflicts with motor vehicles, and create a safe and attractive environment for people who walk, bike, take transit, drive, or use other methods of transportation. Anchorage public and steering committee input examples include:

• Adopt and implement current design standards, particularly Complete Streets

• Increase the number of pedestrian crossings

• Install more protected bike lanes, pathways

• Change the timing of traffic lights

• Identify, analyze, and redesign high-risk locations

2. Education

All road users must be made aware of the laws governing other user types, and how to behave safely and responsibly around these users and on the streets. Anchorage public and steering committee input examples include:

• Implement a public safety messaging campaign, including identifying audiences (special population) and issues based on data

• Use the Mayor to coordinate messaging and draw attention to existing efforts

• Use media coverage to educate on traffic safety, existing and planned projects

• More traffic safety education for K-12

• Appropriate signage throughout the city to ensure understanding of bike and pedestrian laws

3. Enforcement

Enforcement is critical to long-term behavior change. Anchorage public and steering committee input examples include:

• Community readiness for all of Vision Zero

• Promote retention and recruitment of police officers to increase staffing for expanded traffic enforcement

• Lower traffic speed limits where appropriate

• Regular training of officers on laws relating to all transportation modes

• Increase high-visibility enforcement and corridor safety patrols

4. Evaluation

When implementing any of the policies and strategies to be determined for Vision Zero Anchorage, it is necessary to track data before and after any interventions. Anchorage public and steering committee input examples include:

• Conduct interdisciplinary annual review of high priority safety improvement needs and aggregate into an accessible centralized location

• Track traffic fatalities and serious injuries and publish online in a timely manner

• Track and publish walking and biking volume data, install digital automated counters at key locations

• Work with Trauma Registry to combine trauma data with police crash reports

• Use crash data to identify traffic safety “hot spots” and unsafe behaviors

5. Encouragement

Promoting a cultural shift to increase walking, bicycling, and transit trips increases safety because those that have experienced what it’s like to walk or bike on the roads are likely to be safer drivers around people who walk and bike, the most vulnerable road users. Anchorage public and steering committee input examples include:

• Encourage pedestrian outreach

• Promote Bike- and Walk-to-Work days

• Install more bike racks at high-demand locations

• Institute a bicycle and pedestrian wayfinding system Anchorage-wide

• Include encouragement for special populations, reach out to low-income individuals, identify other involuntary bike and pedestrian transportation users.