Equity in Traffic Safety Planning: An Evaluation of How Large U.S. Cities Address Equity in Vision Zero Plans

Traffic safety outcomes are not distributed equitably across geographies and population groups. There has been no systematic review of how cities address equity in their official traffic safety plans. Through an evaluation of Vision Zero plans from 62 large U.S. cities and interviews with Vision Zero planners, I examined how and why cities incorporate social and spatial equity into Vision Zero plans. I identified gaps in safety equity analysis and improvement strategies while also investigating the challenges for addressing traffic safety equity. Results indicate a broad consensus on the importance of equity in Vision Zero planning. Most reviewed plans integrate equity into their core themes and safety analyses. However, they often fall short in addressing how the planning process incorporated feedback from disadvantaged communities. Many also lack equity metrics to evaluate project performance. In this analysis I focused on the plan contents and not outcomes, and on safety equity for racial minorities and low-income residents. Vision Zero plans guide cities’ safety improvement efforts. Ensuring equity is adequately addressed is critical to making streets safer for all road users. To further safety equity, cities should build long-term partnerships with disadvantaged communities that extend beyond the planning phase, expand outcome evaluation measures, and integrate traffic safety with transit and land use planning. Meanwhile, states need to better align their laws and investment decisions with local jurisdictions’ Vision Zero efforts.