📰 What Happened: Since 2015, Austin’s Vision Zero has added over 500 pedestrian crossings, 320 miles of improved sidewalks, 100+ miles of bike infrastructure, and 600 Safe Routes to School. Fewer fatal crashes and safer conditions in key areas are also nice-to-haves.

🔍 A Closer Look: Austin is targeting the most at-risk communities—including Black residents, low-income men, and the unhoused—who are disproportionately involved in serious or fatal pedestrian and bike crashes. Projects like the Bluff Springs Road Safety Project have cut crashes by 30% and high-risk speeding by 58%.

🧠 Why It Matters: While Vision Zero’s goal of eliminating traffic deaths has not been met (yet), its impact is evident in safer streets overall. And as other cities adopt or revise their own Vision Zero plans, Austin’s success highlights both the possibilities and the challenges of long-term road safety investments.