City of Phoenix's new road safety plan aims to end serious crashes by 2050
Phoenix votes to move ahead with 'Vision Zero' road safety plan
In 2021, a record number of people died on the roadways of Phoenix, and the city is on track to set another record in 2022. FOX 10's Brian Webb has more on a plan that was approved by the Phoenix City Council to combat the problem of traffic accidents.
PHOENIX - In 2021, a record number of people died on Phoenix city roads, and the city is on track to beat that in 2022.
However, the city is trying to drastically cut down on bad crashes across the city, and on Sept. 7, members of the Phoenix City Council unanimously voted to move forward on the Vision Zero Plan.
"The goal of the Plan is to reduce the number of traffic fatalities and serious injuries in Phoenix to zero by 2050, and connects with the Vision Zero philosophy that those types of incidents are preventable," officials said in a news release.
Read More: Vision Zero: Phoenix City Council adopts new campaign to help reduce traffic collisions
The city will spend $10 million a year to tackle 41 strategies, from stronger enforcement and education, to smarter intersections with safer crosswalks and bike lanes, along with better lights and signs.
"We've been working on this a long time, and it’s an issue of huge importance," said Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego. "We want to have safe roadways that are welcome to all."
The city hopes to see a 25% reduction in serious crashes by 2027, and 65% by 2035. If all goes according to plan, deaths will fall to 0 by 2050.
By adopting the Vision Zero plan, city officials can now ask for grants from the federal government, which can top $30 million.