Traffic deaths down: A Vision Zero success?

Vision Zero

Not surprising that City Hall would like to take credit for the reduction in traffic deaths in the city last year (SF traffic fatalities in 2017 lowest in city’s history). It's good news, but its triumphalism is probably premature and a lot like President Trump recently taking credit for airline safety.

Traffic deaths in the city have been going down steadily for years, and last year may be an anomaly. It wouldn't be surprising if next year they went back up to 30, which has been the norm in recent years:

The 20 traffic-related deaths that occurred in San Francisco in 2017 mark the fewest number of people killed on city streets since 2010, when there were 24 deaths. It’s also 10 fewer deaths than the 30 that occurred in 2016 and the 31 recorded in each of the prior two years. The city first began counting fatal collisions in 1915, when there were 68 fatalities. The highest number of deaths — a staggering 158 — occurred in 1927.

The reference to 1915 can be verified by this 2010 MTA study (see pages 5-7). See also pages 6 and 7 in this 2016 document.

Last year, the agency implemented more than 700 projects, many of which are intended to slow motorists, including installing speed humps, recalibrating the timing of traffic signals and increasing visibility at crosswalks. MTA is also working on improving traffic safety in concert with major street improvement projects under way at Van Ness Avenue, Polk Street and Second Street, Maguire said.

Are Van Ness and Second Street unsafe? Maguire offers no evidence and, like the Examiner, the Chronicle reporter adopts City Hall's terminology; whatever the city is doing to our streets is an "improvement."

The Polk Street bike project was justified based on a lie about its safety, as I pointed out several years ago.

Interesting that the under-construction Masonic Avenue bike project isn't mentioned; it too was based on the safety lie. Supervisor Breed was one of the liars, though, like with our president, it's not easy to tell when she's lying or just being dumb.