Vision Zero and Transit
Campus Dr. & Farley Ave. is 4th most dangerous intersection in Madison (1/20/2020) COURTESY Gabriella Hilliard Most people agree that public safety is a basic governmental concern. For city government, you might think in terms of police, fire and maybe public health. Madison's Director of Transportation Tom Lynch outlined a strong case for including transportation as well. He thinks Madison should adopt the Vision Zero goal of having no traffic fatalities or severe injuries, "while increasing safe, healthy, equitable mobility for all." Lynch shows for instance, that between 2013 and 2017 Madison experienced 44 traffic fatalities compared to 38 homicides. It had almost 3,100 non-incapacitating injuries due to traffic crashes compared to a little under 2,700 reported assaults. In 2018 alone, severe crashes involved 100 disabling injuries and 8 fatalities. The Vision Zero stance does not simply shrug off such abysmal crash figures as the inevitable pr...