TAMPA, Fla. — It's a statement we hear it all too often; one traffic fatality is one too many, and every time it holds true.
Alana Brasier with the City of Tampa said the city is not immune to statistics behind that phrase.
"Fatalities are not decreasing so what can we do differently?" Brasier said.
Brasier is the project coordinator for Vision Zero.
The program that spans across the nation was adopted by Mayor Jane Castor in November of 2019 as part of her Transforming Tampa's Tomorrow strategic planning effort.
In simpler terms, it's a program to get a better grasp on how the city can better focus on dangerous roads.
"Overall with Vision Zero we are trying to slow speeds. So speeding is the number one reason people are killed whether they're in a car crash or hit while they're walking or while they're biking," Brasier said. "We start out with developing an action plan with the help of a Vision Zero task force and really focus in on what can we do a little more quickly and a little more strategically."
A task force that will kick off in late February will begin the discussions on what's deemed a quick build project and a capital project.
Quick build projects take one to two years to complete whereas the capital projects are extended over three to five years.
Brasier said quick build projects will help address problematic areas faster.
"I think that we can get some things out on the road a little quicker like separated bike lanes, more of our mid-clock crossings and RFB's and that sort of thing," Brasier said.
An advantage to the program is the minds that make it up.
Vision Zero was created in Sweden 30 years ago and now spans across the nation.
This gives Brasier's team a wealth of knowledge of what works and what doesn't from experts who have achieved the goal of creating safer roadways.
"There's certain cities like Oslow, Norway that has reached zero fatalities," Brasier said.
It's not an overnight change, but it's a start.
Brasier said the culmination of community feedback, partnerships with the Florida Department of Transportation and the Tampa Police Department are a step in the right direction.
She said it's not an overnight process, but she hopes it will address problems that have been decades in the making.
Currently, there are about four people working to address street safety issues in the city with a six-month backlog.
For more information on how to report any transportation issues or service requests, call the Customer Service Center at 813-274-3101.
Online request submissions for All-Way Stop under the Traffic Sign Request (New or Modification) can be made here.
To submit other traffic issues, click here.
To reach the City's full Customer Service Center, click here.
