MTC-led Bay Area Pedestrian-Bicycle Safety Group Holds First Meeting

The MTC-led Vision Zero Working Group this month met for the first time to exchange ideas on how to make the Bay Area a safer place for pedestrians, bicyclists and others.

A panel of about 40 Bay Area officials from cities, counties, transit agencies, universities and advocacy groups met virtually on Feb. 17 to begin identifying safety solutions that can be employed throughout the region.

MTC recently adopted a regional Safety/Vision Zero policy and began development of a Regional Integrated Safety Data System that will provide Bay Area cities and counties with a consistent source of data and tools for conducting safety analyses and informing their safety plans and projects.

More than 400 fatalities and 2,000 serious injuries occur on the Bay Area’s roads each year, a number that has grown 50% since 2010. As the population grows and total vehicle miles traveled increase, these numbers could rise if state, regional and local policies remain unchanged.