Vision Zero

We advocate so that no one dies or suffers serious injuries just trying to get around Denver. Traffic deaths are preventable and unacceptable.

Read our blog post, How Denver can meet the moment with Vision Zero and view pictures from our 2023 World Day of Remembrance vigil and ceremony.

Vision Zero Love In at Colorado State Capitol, Feb 2019

Our Vision Zero Core Principles

Zero Deaths and Serious Injuries is the Right Goal.

No one should die or suffer serious injuries just trying to get around Denver. Traffic crashes that result in injuries and fatalities are predictable and therefore preventable.

Life is Most Important.

The protection of human life and health must be the overriding goal of traffic planning, engineering, and enforcement. This represents a move away from the primacy of driving and prioritization of speed.

Every Person Matters.

Everyone has the right to be safe on Denver’s streets, regardless of how they travel, and regardless of age, income, race, ethnicity, or ability.

The Government is Responsible for Safe Street Design.

Individuals can only control their own behavior; the government designs the overall transportation system. Denver’s public officials must take the lead in designing a safe system and not assign fault to victims of an unsafe system.

People Make Mistakes.

Mistakes don’t have to be fatal. Traffic systems can and must be designed to account for the inevitability of human error. Traffic systems that attempt to change aspects of basic human nature will eventually fail.

Safe Designs Lead to Safe Behaviors.

Community and street design are the biggest determinants of people’s travel behaviors. To achieve the goal of zero fatalities and serious injuries, we must correct poorly designed areas that invite speeding and other unsafe behaviors, while providing complete multi-modal networks that enable people to get where they need to go.

Enforcement Cannot Correct for Dangerous Street Design.

Traditional officer-initiated enforcement should be a last resort, not the primary tactic. Over-reliance of enforcement can exacerbate racial and social injustices and erode mutual feelings of trust and safety between our police officers and the communities they serve. 

In November 2021 we co-hosted a panel on Decriminalizing Multimodal Transportation that discussed this theme at length. Tune in by visiting our blog

The Most Dangerous Locations and Behaviors Merit the Most Attention.

Engineering and enforcement strategies must be transparent; focus on the most problematic locations, crash types, and behaviors; and be informed by accurate and timely information as well as the lived, human experience of Denver residents.

People Driving Have a Critical Responsibility.

When we drive, we are controlling a machine that can inflict a great deal of harm. We therefore have a critical responsibility to consider the safety of people not traveling by car.

Safe Streets Enhance Our Freedom.

Eliminating traffic fatalities and serious injuries will help transform Denver into a truly multi-modal city that supports walking, biking, and transit use, with happy, healthy residents and a thriving economy.

Vision Zero Wins

  • January 2023: Denver City Council votes to decriminalize jaywalking, acknowledging the reality that “jaywalking” is what people often have to do to navigate car-centric communities and that the criminalization of jaywalking has led to racist and discriminatory enforcement. Learn more about the Freedom to Walk and Roll: Denverite, Westword, Denver Post
  • December 2021: Denver City Council passes an ordinance reducing neighborhood speed limits from 25 miles per hour to 20 miles per hour. The likelihood of serious injury or a fatality in a traffic crash increases the faster a vehicle is moving, and lowering the speed limits on neighborhood streets helps keep everyone safe. Learn more about 20 is Plenty.
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Cole’s story

On July 13, 2016 Cole Sukle and his two best buddies were enjoying a sunny summer day, riding skateboards through their neighborhood, when they stopped to cross Yale Blvd on their way to the middle school basketball court nearby. Standing safely within the bike lane, one of the boys looked to his left, barely processing the speeding car already upon them and too late to do anything more than jump back. He watched helplessly as the speeding drunk driver hit his two friends and drove away. Miraculously, two of the boys escaped harm’s way, but Cole was rushed to Denver Health where he died the next day.

When the City of Denver asked Cole’s family if they’d be willing to share his story as part of the announcement of a new plan to eliminate traffic fatalities in Denver, they were honored to oblige. Like most people, the Sukles didn’t know much about what made streets safe or unsafe. They taught their kids to look both ways, stay on the sidewalk and always use the crosswalk. But the Vision Zero action plan that Cole’s story helped announce opened their eyes to the ways cities can design streets and neighborhoods to be safe for people walking and biking, or cater to cars, leaving streets deadly and dangerous.

Cole’s story is just one of hundreds that inspires the Denver Streets Partnership to constantly hold the City accountable to its commitment to eliminate traffic fatalities and serious injuries by the year 2030.

Vision Zero Projects

vision zero community art

Community Art Projects

The Vision Zero Community Art Projects brought together the community along Denver’s Colfax corridor to create public art installations that raise awareness of traffic safety and Denver’s commitment to end traffic fatalities and serious injuries as a Vision Zero city.
"Slow the Funk Down" yard sign

Twenty is Plenty

The evidence is clear: Speed kills.

Even small increases in vehicle speed can have fatal results. We’re calling on city leaders to reduce the default speed limit for Denver’s neighborhood streets from 25 mph to 20 mph

Vision Zero volunteer safety vest

Vision Zero Community Program

In partnership with Denver Department of Public Health & Environment and Denver Public Works, this initiative is giving teams of community members an opportunity to design a project to increase awareness of Vision Zero and promote safer streets in their neighborhoods.

Here’s what we’ve been up to:

 

Denver Streets Partnership statement as Denver matches grim milestone for traffic fatalities

By November 4, 2021, a record 71 people died as a result of traffic crashes that year. Read our response to this grim milestone and our demands of government leaders at all levels to prevent such carnage to truly reach Vision Zero.

2020 Vision Zero Action Plan Progress Report Card

View the third annual report card on the City and County of Denver’s progress to meet their own Vision Zero Action Plan aimed at eliminating traffic fatalities and serious injuries. The Report Card focuses specifically on Denver’s progress meeting their goals on street safety improvements with an overall grade and individual grades in eight categories. 

2019 Vision Zero Action Plan Progress Report Card

View the second annual report card on the City and County of Denver’s progress to meet their own Vision Zero Action Plan aimed at eliminating traffic fatalities and serious injuries. The Report Card focuses specifically on Denver’s progress meeting their goals on street safety improvements with an overall grade and individual grades in eight categories.

Press Release: Denver Streets Partnership grades Denver’s 2019 Vision Zero Efforts a C+

70 people killed on Denver streets, critical shortfalls in sidewalks, bike lanes, intersection improvements not enough to significantly improve 2018 score. 

2018 Vision Zero Action Plan Progress Report Card

Denver showed progress but failed to meet many of their own 2018 goals for street safety improvements outlined in the Vision Zero Action Plan, missing opportunities to make improvements along the High-Injury Network and building less than half of the 14 miles of sidewalks goal. Denver’s bright spot was strong progress building out the bike network.

Related Resources

45 Related Items
Blog

Agenda for the new Mayor and City Council’s first 100 days in office

July 21, 2023

The Denver Streets Partnership has released an agenda for Mayor-Elect Johnson and the Denver City Council’s first 100 days in office.  The full agenda includes five high-priority actions that can be taken quickly to help address traffic safety, access, and the transportation sector’s impact on climate change and air pollution: Appoint a capable and visionary Director […]

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Agenda

Agenda for the new Mayor and City Council’s first 100 days in office

July 21, 2023

    The Denver Streets Partnership has released an agenda for Mayor-Elect Johnson and the Denver City Council’s first 100 days in office.  The full agenda includes five high-priority actions that can be taken quickly to help address traffic safety, access, and the transportation sector’s impact on climate change and air pollution: Appoint a capable and […]

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Media Hit

Denver residents seek renewed focus on ending traffic deaths: ‘Lives are at stake’

July 20, 2023

Since Mayor Michael Hancock committed to eliminating traffic deaths seven years ago, Denver’s roads have only gotten deadlier. As Mayor-elect Mike Johnston prepares to take the city’s reins, Denverites are asking for change. 

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Media Hit

Michael Hancock gave Denver a bold ‘Vision Zero’ goal of eliminating traffic deaths. Here’s why it failed

July 13, 2023

In the six full years since the city committed to Vision Zero, more than 400 people have died in traffic, and there’ve been more than 2,000 crashes causing serious injuries.

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Media Hit

Mother of cyclist killed in collision wants Denver to do more to make streets safer

July 2, 2023

Wednesday the City recommitted to Vision Zero but Thursday critics and Cindy Stepp gathered on the corner where Ainslie was killed to say it isn’t enough.

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Media Hit

Her daughter was killed on her bike in Denver. She’s still riding and pushing leaders to make streets safer

June 2, 2023

Advocates for street safety, including Stepp, spoke at the site of Ainslie O’Neil’s death Thursday to pressure Denver’s current and future city leaders to do more.

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Media Hit

Denver Streets Partnership urges city to prioritize funding for updated Vision Zero plan

June 2, 2023

As traffic fatalities in Denver continue to be a growing issue, the city announced Wednesday that it is recommitting to its 2017 Vision Zero plan that aims to eliminate traffic deaths by 2030.

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Blog

How Denver can meet the moment with Vision Zero

June 1, 2023
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Media Hit

Denver’s Vision Zero pledge is failing. The city’s reset calls for slower speeds to stop deaths

May 31, 2023

Mayor Michael Hancock is recommitting to its “Vision Zero” program that reframes serious and fatal crashes as systemic problems that need infrastructure or engineering fixes. His administration on Wednesday released an updated plan that he hopes will get the city back on track.

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Media Hit

Federal Boulevard site of multiple hit-and-run crashes

March 2, 2023

Federal Boulevard has seen multiple hit-and-run crashes in recent days. A reward is being offered. On Feb. 22, a pedestrian was hit crossing South Federal Boulevard at West Dartmouth Avenue. The injuries are considered serious. Denver Police say the driver left the scene.

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Media Hit

Denver’s getting money to study nine dangerous roadways as it tries to achieve Vision Zero’s goals

February 17, 2023

Denver and Vision Zero, the city’s initiative to completely eradicate traffic deaths and serious injuries by 2030, is receiving some funding to help further the mission.

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Media Hit

Wins & Wrecks for Vision Zero

January 18, 2023

We’re kicking off the year sharing a round-up of what we consider Wins & Wrecks for the U.S. Vision Zero movement. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list, but rather a cross-section of bright spots – some that are already yielding positive results and some that we’re optimistically projecting will do so – and some disappointments, or shall we say, opportunities to do better.

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