State Departments of Transportation Finally Turning Their Attention to Safety?

It's an old complaint that DOTs are myopically focused on moving cars efficiently and blind to the other goals a transport system might have. Jeff Speck, author of Walkable City, reserved some his most biting criticisms for this group. But in a post for Streetsblog USA, Angie Schmitt sees the possibility for a change. "They’re usually more interested in moving traffic than saving lives. But it looks like that’s starting to change as states follow the lead of the federal government’s 'Toward Zero Deaths' initiative," she writes.

In particular, Schmitt is encouraged by Oregon's Transportation Safety Action Plan, which read in part, "The development of the [plan] is an important step toward continuously changing the traffic safety culture in Oregon. It comes at a pivotal time as it is imperative to counteract the recent fatality increase." The report also adopts the zero fatalities goal, outlining a plan to decrease fatalities in the state to zero by 2035. Schmitt's findings from the Oregon case study are based on an article by Jonathan Muas for Bike Portland.

Schmitt ends her piece on a cautionary note, saying that while the language and plan outlined are encouraging they still have to execute it.