Vision Zero Action Plan Update

We're transforming the City's traditional Traffic Safety Program and Traffic Safety Report into a Vision Zero Action Plan.

To help guide development of the Vision Zero Action Plan, the City invited community members to provide input on transportation safety concerns that may not be fully captured in reported collision data. Community members shared where they have concerns, including near misses while walking, biking, or driving on City of SLO streets by adding a comment on our Vision Zero Community Input Map. This input was collected through June 4, 2024 to help guide the City of SLO Vision Zero Action Plan. A Draft Plan will be presented for public input and potential City Council adoption later in 2024.

The City’s existing Traffic Safety Program has been extremely effective at reducing total collisions, with over a 60% reduction in citywide collision totals over the past 20 years. However, the program has been less effective at reducing the most impactful types of collisions—those that result in severe injury or loss of life. Citywide severe injury and fatal collision rates have generally remained steady over time, with the rate of traffic fatalities actually increasing over the past several years, which tracks with overarching trends throughout the country.

A Vision Zero Action Plan shifts focus from a reactive approach centered on reducing all collisions, to a more proactive “safe systems” approach that focuses on preventing deaths and severe injuries through data-driven, proactive transportation system design strategies.

Core Mission

The core message of the Vision Zero traffic safety initiative—adopted as policy by the City Council in 2016—is simple: one death on our city streets is too many. San Luis Obispo families, workers, students and visitors deserve safe streets on which to walk, bike, access transit and drive. Building on the success of the City’s existing Traffic Safety Program and Annual Traffic Safety Report, to reduce traffic collisions by nearly 70 percent in the past 20 years, San Luis Obispo is shifting to a Vision Zero Action Plan and Safe Systems Approach.

The Vision Zero traffic safety initiative shifts focus on solely reactive approaches to proactive systematic strategies, such as prioritizing a corrective focus on types of street designs and user behaviors most likely to result in severe crashes in the future. The Vision Zero Action Plan aims to identify priority actions and areas of focus to work towards the City’s goal will work towards a goal of zero traffic-related fatalities and serious injuries by 2030.

Rather than singularly faulting road users, the Vision Zero viewpoint places the core responsibility for collision severity on the overall road system design, enforcement and public education. The premise is that humans are fallible and will make mistakes—properly designed transportation systems can help minimize the consequences and severity of these mistakes when they occur.

With over 42,000 traffic-related deaths per year in the United States, traffic safety has become a significant public health concern in American cities. The public health imperative behind Vision Zero is clear: increasing the safety of our streets for all users not only saves lives, but also creates healthy communities by making it easier and more enticing for people to engage in daily physical activity by walking and biking.

To achieve zero deaths or serious injuries, the City of San Luis Obispo commits to providing a transportation system that is safe and accessible to users of all ages and abilities. We do this through:

• Data-Driven Analysis of Collision Trends
• Systematic Street Design Improvements to Reduce Severity of Crashes When they Do Occur
• Community Education
• Strategic Traffic Enforcement

Overall Collision Trend

Injury Collision Trend

Severe Injury Collision Trend

Fatal Collision Trend

*Please note that the COVID-19 pandemic abnormally impacted statewide traffic patterns in 2020. The lower total and injury collisions in 2020 are likely due to lower traffic patterns, not improved roadway safety conditions.

When reviewing recent fatal collision trends from the past 10 years (2014-2023), the following takeaways are clear:

• 22 people have been killed in traffic collisions in SLO in the past 10 years, with 50% of that total (11 of 22) occurring in the most recent 3-year period (2021-2023).
• 77% of fatal collisions involved a person walking (50%) or bicycling (27%), which is nearly 300% the rate of walk & bicycle mode share.
• 23% of fatal collisions involved a member of the unhoused community, who represent <1% of the citywide population.
• 77% of fatal collisions occurred in on streets identified as part of the City’s Active Transportation Plan Tier 1 Network.
• 75% of fatal collisions occurred on streets with speeds over 35 mph.

National Traffic Fatality Rates

Even in one of the City's worst 5-year periods of traffic fatalities in recent history, the City's average is well below national, state, and regional trends.

High-Injury Collision Network

The City’s High-Injury Network identifies the streets within San Luis Obispo with the highest concentrations of traffic collisions resulting in severe injury or death. In developing San Luis Obispo’s first Vision Zero Action Plan, the City’s current High-Injury Network was highlighted based on the most recent five years of collision data, and in general includes higher-speed arterial streets, such as Foothill Boulevard, Broad Street, Higuera Street and Los Osos Valley Road. The Vision Zero Action Plan will include recommendations to prioritize engineering and enforcement resources at these locations. A few facts on the City’s High-Injury Network:

Over the past 5 years,

• Approximately 75% of all citywide severe injury and fatal collisions occurred on the High-Injury Network.
• The High-Injury Network represents only 8% of citywide road miles.
• 70% of the High-Injury Network overlaps with the City’s Active Transportation Plan Tier 1 (highest-priority) Network.

Annual Traffic Safety Report – The City’s annual Traffic Safety Report (TSR) reviews citywide collision trends, identifies patterns and rates at high-collision locations, and recommends specific actions and improvements at high-crash intersections and corridors. As noted above, the historic Traffic Safety Report is being transformed into a Vision Zero Action Plan, with the first edition scheduled for publishing in 2024. To review previously published Traffic Safety Reports, click here.

Vision Zero Community Input Map – This interactive tool allows members of the community to provide comments and tag locations where they have perceived traffic safety issues. Click here to view the map and all comments.

Online Collision Dashboard – In conjunction with the City’s Vision Zero Action Plan, the City is developing an online collision dashboard, which will allow community members and other stakeholders to review current collision data via an interactive GIS map. A link to this dashboard will be posted here with publishing of the Vision Zero Action Plan later in 2024.

How You Can Help

Safety Tips for Drivers, Pedestrians and Bicyclists – Whether you are walking, biking or driving to get around the city, click here to review some basic tips to make your trip safer. 

Report Concerns

Traffic Safety Unit - For emergencies, please dial 911. For other traffic-related enforcement issues, please contact SLO PD Traffic Safety Unit at trafficenforcement@slocity.org or (805) 781-7317.

Transportation Email/Phone Line - For general transportation-related questions, contact City Transportation Staff at traffic@slocity.org or (805) 781-7200.

Vision Zero Community Input Map - Use this tool to help guide long-term Vision Zero Planning only. Contact SLO PD or Traffic Engineering Division for immediate safety concerns.

Neighborhood Traffic Safety Toolkit

Speed Radar Trailer Program – City transportation staff deploys two radar trailers  to different locations around the city. The radar trailer displays a vehicle’s speed on a reader board and has been effective in decreasing vehicle speed in many areas of San Luis Obispo by encouraging motorists to reduce speed. The radar trailers are set up at a location typically for two to three weeks at a time. You can participate in this program by contacting City Transportation Staff at traffic@slocity.org and request that your neighborhood be added to the rotation list for the radar trailers.

Traffic Enforcement Unit – The goal of the Traffic Safety Unit is to use education and enforcement to increase traffic safety in San Luis Obispo. The unit is staffed with officers who work from fully marked police motorcycles, with an emphasis on vehicle code enforcement and types of behaviors that are likely to result in injury collisions. The Transportation Division works closely with the Traffic Safety Unit regarding enforcement issues, and we rely on input from the community to reveal problem areas. Please report any traffic-related enforcement issues to the Traffic Safety Unit by emailing trafficenforcement@slocity.org.

Red Curb Program – The City has a no-fee Red Curb Permit Program allowing residents to paint and maintain a portion of curb on either side of their private driveway. The goal of this program is to discourage cars from blocking driveways and to increase the visibility when cars are backing onto the road. To participate in this program, contact City Transportation Staff at traffic@slocity.org.

Engineering Studies – City transportation staff conducts various studies within a neighborhood to analyze traffic issues and safety. Studies may include vehicle volume counts, speed surveys, sight distance studies, and a review of collision patterns.