REFERENCE TITLE: vision zero; transportation planning

State of Arizona

Senate

Fifty-seventh Legislature

First Regular Session

2025

SCM 1002

Introduced by

Senators Werner: Angius, Carroll, Gowan, Shope

A CONCURRENT MEMORIAL

Urging the president and congress of the United States to eliminate the Vision Zero approach to transportation PLANNING and instead prioritize sound engineering and safe outcomes.

(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)

To the President and Congress of the United States of America:

Your memorialist respectfully represents:

Whereas, Vision Zero and the safe systems approach originated in Sweden in the 1990s and have since been adopted internationally, including in the United States since 2016; and

Whereas, Vision Zero is promoted as a framework for eliminating traffic fatalities and serious injuries through a safe systems approach, but its implementation in cities in the United States has not cured traffic fatalities but rather has increased serious injuries and fatalities and caused delays in emergency response vehicles; and

Whereas, the Vision Zero safe systems approach diverts from sound transportation engineering methodologies and instead employs a one-size-fits-all approach that requires the adoption in all circumstances of lower speed limits, fewer and narrower roads and draconian traffic enforcement measures; and

Whereas, Vision Zero prioritizes a uniform roadway design, regardless of local geography, traffic patterns or historical crash data, compromising tailored context-specific engineering solutions; and

Whereas, Vision Zero's design philosophy integrates multiple transportation modes in ways that create conflicts between motor vehicles, bicycles and pedestrians rather than separating these uses for improved safety; and

Whereas, Vision Zero policies subordinate the needs of drivers, which is the majority mode of transportation in the United States, to walking, biking and public transit, often reducing roadway speeds and capacity.  This diminishes efficiency and accessibility for the majority of travelers; and

Whereas, Vision Zero emphasizes equity and ideological goals over traditional engineering-based safety approaches, shifting the focus of transportation planning away from pragmatic, data-driven solutions; and

Whereas, major cities in the United States have implemented Vision Zero in recent years with the goal of eliminating traffic fatalities, but suffered the opposite effect. New York City experienced the highest traffic fatalities in a decade, Los Angeles sustained a 22-year record high in fatalities in 2023 and Seattle has been subject to a steady increase in fatalities; and

Whereas, after adopting Vision Zero, Denver, Colorado's traffic fatalities increased by 33% in the next five years compared to the previous five years, with motorcyclists, pedestrians and cyclists experiencing the highest fatality rates; and

Whereas, Portland, Oregon's 2024 city auditor report attributed a doubling of fatalities to Vision Zero policies, despite reduced speed limits, stricter enforcement, intersection reconfigurations and improved lighting, raising concerns about its real-world safety outcomes; and

Whereas, Vision Zero's traffic calming measures and design changes can impede emergency response times for public safety vehicles, potentially endangering lives; and

Whereas, Vision Zero has been supported and funded by organizations motivated by anti-car and anti-sprawl ideologies, diverging from established engineering standards; and

Whereas, the safe systems approach begins with the premise that America's transportation infrastructure has systemic inequities that must be corrected, an assertion that may not align with practical safety objectives; and

Whereas, the free movement of goods and people is essential to the American economy and way of life, particularly for the commercial trucking industry, which relies on efficient and reliable roadways; and

Whereas, the Vision Zero safe systems approach mandates lower speed limits that conflict with roadway design and natural operating speeds, leading to increased speed variation, reduced safety and a higher incidence of speed violations; and

Whereas, a core element of the Vision Zero strategy is to reduce single-occupancy vehicle miles traveled, restricting individual freedom, disrupting personal travel flexibility, increasing commute times and limiting access to jobs, essential errands and daily activities; and

Whereas, safety improvements can and should be achieved without sacrificing freedom of movement or imposing a rigid framework that limits alternative solutions; and

Whereas, Vision Zero proponents acknowledge that achieving zero fatalities may ultimately require eliminating or controlling private vehicle use; and

Whereas, Vision Zero's underlying philosophy assumes that driving culture and human behavior must be reshaped, which is impractical; and

Whereas, this state and its cities are compelled to implement the deeply flawed Vision Zero program as a condition of receiving federal grant funding tied to transportation projects, leading to wasteful removal of existing road infrastructure that is still serviceable and functional.

Wherefore your memorialist, the Senate of the State of Arizona, the House of Representatives concurring, prays:

1. That the President and Congress of the United States eliminate Vision Zero and the safe systems approach to transportation planning and funding, and instead promote transportation solutions that prioritize sound engineering methods, reliable safety outcomes, flexibility and engineering innovation without compromising individual freedoms or economic efficiency.

2. That the Secretary of State of the State of Arizona transmit copies of this Memorial to the President of the United States, the President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives and each Member of Congress from the State of Arizona.