Madison reports decline in traffic deaths, serious injuries since Vision Zero launch

MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) - This Valentine’s Day, Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway says she wants residents to get home safely to their loved ones.

Since the summer of 2020, the city’s Vision Zero Initiative has been in effect to make that happen.

“Every year we look at all of the statistics, crashes, fatalities, injuries,” Yang Tao, a traffic engineer for the city of Madison, said. “Every time we do that, I have a very heavy heart because really those aren’t just numbers, those are people’s lives that got impacted forever.”

In 2022, there were 90 fatalities and serious injuries on Madison’s roads, according to to the Wisconsin Traffic Operations and Safety Lab. That’s nearly a 30% decrease since the the start of the Vision Zero Program, according to the City of Madison.

From low-income neighborhood outreach to improving street design to increasing police enforcement in areas known for speeding like East Washington Ave., the city has its sights set on eliminating all traffic fatalities.

“Even though people are generally uncomfortable with change, our residents are really supporting,” Tao said. “80% of the residents that we surveyed told us to prioritize safety over speed.”

The city says slowing drivers down has played one of the biggest parts in decreasing fatalities and injuries.

Click here to download the NBC15 News app or our NBC15 First Alert weather app.

Copyright 2023 WMTV. All rights reserved.