Vision Zero, Bad Faith

David Cranor writes that Vision Zero in Washington, D.C. was dead on arrival. Not only does Vision Zero set an unrealistic goal, "but DC isn't making a good faith effort to achieve it either."

Cranor recently attended the District's second annual Vision Zero Summit, and while it "was encouraging to see so much energy from the advocates in the room," it was also "discouraging to see how slowly things are progressing on the government side."

Cranor's point about Vision Zero setting an impossible standard, with a very short timeline, applies to more municipalities in the region than just Washington, D.C. "Other areas are similarly ambitious. Montgomery County has a Vision Zero goal, set last November, of 2030. Alexandria's goal, set in December, is 2028. They aren't going to make it either."

While Cranor spares no sympathy for the politicians who set the goals and then lament the lack of political will to get the work done, the article also digs into what realistic goals might have looked like.