House Legislation to Fund Vision Zero Investments Proposed

Andrew Theen reports: "U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer and two of his Congressional colleagues who advocate for bike infrastructure and safety projects introduced legislation Wednesday to expand Vision Zero, the international campaign to curb traffic deaths, nationally."

Blumenauer (D-Ore.) introduced the Vision Zero Act of 2019, along with Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) and Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-Fla.). Pressly was the first members of congress to form a new "Future of Transportation" caucus earlier this month.

"The bill allows federal funds to trickle down to cities to help them “design and implement Vision Zero programs” and sets guidelines that a city or local government’s plan can’t go beyond 20 years," reports Theen.

The House legislation was introduced the day after the Federal Highway Traffic Safety Administration released new traffic fatality data that showed an increasing number of fatalities among pedestrians and people on bikes, even while the total number of traffic fatalities declined nationally.