In response to an uptick in traffic accidents going back several years, the City of Morgan Hill has adopted the “Vision Zero” collision-reduction strategy that combines street planning concepts, education of motorists on traffic safety, enforcement of existing traffic laws and adopting new policies in order to prevent injuries and deaths on the roadways.
The Morgan Hill Police Department also announced this week that officers will begin increasing traffic enforcement “in an attempt to reduce injury collisions in 2018,” reads a Jan. 18 press release. “Effective immediately, the MHPD traffic team and members of the patrol division will be conducting proactive traffic enforcement during peak commute hours,” the press release states. “The mission of the officers is to educate motorists on the importance of traffic safety and to enforce traffic laws when necessary.”
Such enforcement is just one aspect of the overarching Vision Zero concept, which was developed by authorities in Sweden in 1997, according to a presentation given by city staff to the Morgan Hill City Council Jan. 17. The council unanimously adopted the Vision Zero plan at that meeting.
The Vision Zero mindset includes shifting from traditional assumptions, such as the belief that traffic fatalities are inevitable and that human error is not a significant factor in collisions, according to city staff. Under Vision Zero, authorities and planners assume that fatalities are preventable, human error will occur frequently and so forth.
According to city staff, the guiding principles of Vision Zero include:
• Traffic deaths are preventable and unacceptable;
• Human life takes priority over mobility and other objectives of the road system, which should be safe for all users, all modes of transportation, in all communities and for people of all ages and abilities;
• Human error is inevitable and unpredictable; the transportation system should be designed to anticipate error so the consequence is not severe injury or death;
• People are inherently vulnerable and speed is a fundamental predictor of crash survival. The transportation system should be designed for speeds that protect human life;
• Safe human behaviors, education and enforcement are essential contributors to a safe system;
• Policies at all levels of government need to align with making safety the highest priority for roadways.
“The elimination of traffic related injuries and deaths is our primary goal,” reads the press release.
City staff added that Vision Zero action items fall into one of seven categories: Engineering, Enforcement, Education, Engagement, Evaluation, Encouragement and Equity.
Some examples of Vision Zero policies and plans are already in place in Morgan Hill, according to city staff. These include more expansive data collection and analysis of collisions and traffic reporting; more diligent evaluation of planning for mid-block crosswalks; installation of “countdown timers” at newer signalized intersections; and consideration of future upgrades for several existing intersections/crosswalks to improve cyclist and pedestrian safety.
Morgan Hill Police attribute the increase in traffic accidents in recent years to more commuter traffic on city streets, as well as more motorists using phone and GPS apps (such as Waze) that re-route drivers onto local roads.
In 2017, MHPD responded to 269 traffic accidents in the city limits, which is in fact down from 287 such accidents in 2016, according to authorities. In 2014 and 2015, police responded to 209 accidents each year.
