The City of Minneapolis has released a draft of the 2023-2025 Minneapolis Vision Zero Action Plan, which outlines priorities for the next three years to advance the City’s goal of ending traffic deaths and severe injuries by 2027. The City is taking public comment on the plan through Dec. 11.
The updated plan builds on the work of the 2020-2022 Vision Zero Action Plan and draws on information in the 2022 Vision Zero Crash Study to inform priority actions. An average of 150 people suffered life-altering injuries or were killed in traffic crashes each year on Minneapolis streets from 2017 to 2021. That is unacceptable and preventable. Traffic crashes disproportionately impact people in neighborhoods with lower incomes, Native American residents and people walking and bicycling.
The plan features 17 strategies and 70 actions to be implemented between 2023 and 2025. Highlights from the strategies and actions include four focus areas:
• Make safety improvements on high injury streets. In Minneapolis, 66 percent of severe and fatal crashes happen on just 9 percent of the streets citywide. The City and partners will continue to proactively install traffic safety treatments on high injury streets.
• Advance street designs to reduce dangerous vehicle speeds. Speeding has increased since 2020 and was a factor in 65 percent of fatal crashes in 2021. Lower traffic speeds save lives by reducing the likelihood of a crash and by making it less likely a crash that does happen will be deadly. The City will expand use of treatments that support safe speeds on busier streets and pilot new measures.
• Work to implement a speed safety camera pilot of automated enforcement. The City is seeking legislative authority to implement a speed safety camera pilot program. Once there is legislative authority, the City will develop details for a local pilot program informed by significant community engagement. Automated traffic enforcement has proven effective at saving lives and eliminates the need for officer interaction.
• Evaluate alternative approaches to staffing and implementing traffic enforcement while addressing discriminatory outcomes and building trust. Due to a variety of factors, traffic stops are down significantly in recent years. The City is working to evaluate alternative approaches to staffing and implementing traffic enforcement and to implement reforms to address racial disparities in traffic stops.
Share feedback and learn more about the draft 2023-2025 Vision Zero Action Plan at minneapolismn.gov/government/programs-initiatives. You can comment on the draft plan; watch a presentation about the draft plan; and attend an online open house 6 p.m. Dec. 1. Check the website for info.
A final 2023-2025 Vision Zero Action Plan will be brought to the City Council for approval in early 2023 after incorporating any changes based on public feedback.