Sweet Streets applauds Salt Lake City’s commitment to Vision Zero

Sweet Streets applauds Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall’s Wednesday announcement that the city will commit eliminating deaths and injuries on city-owned streets under a program called Vision Zero.

Cities within the Vision Zero network reject that traffic violence is an inevitability and instead commit to following best practices to prevent people from being injured or killed on city streets.

We were heartened by what we heard in today’s press conference. We’ve seen far too many of our friends and neighbors killed in recent years.

We look forward to hearing the details around funding safer street design in the city as well as plans for eliminating four lane roads, funding bulb outs, safe bike facilities, protected crosswalks, leading pedestrian intervals and no right turns at red lights.

"Vision Zero represents a meaningful shift in the city's attitude toward traffic fatalities, moving from a mindset where death is inevitable to one where it is preventable and unacceptable,” said Sweet Streets board member Benjamin Wood.