One Vision, Zero Fatalities. #DotteProud
The Wyandotte County Vision Zero Action Plan (VZAP) is a bold initiative to eliminate fatal and serious injury crashes in Kansas City, Kansas, and Wyandotte County. Funded by a U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) grant, this plan uses crash data and public input to identify high-risk areas and develop safety strategies for all road users.
Your Voice Matters! Help shape safer streets by:
- Dropping pins on our engagement map below to highlight concerns
- Attending community meetings and events
Together, we can create a safer Wyandotte County. Get involved today!
Vision Zero is a global movement aimed at eliminating traffic deaths and serious injuries while improving access to safe, reliable, and sustainable mobility for everyone. Vision Zero was first adopted in 1997 in Sweden and has since been endorsed by the USDOT. Municipalities have adopted plans across the United States to design and manage roadway infrastructure that anticipates human behavior and mitigates serious fatal injuries. Several communities across Kansas and the greater Kansas City metro area have made their own commitments to the goal of zero traffic fatalities and serious injuries, working together to create safer streets for all residents.
Vision Zero's core principle is that traffic fatalities and severe injuries are preventable, not inevitable. This proactive approach shifts focus from blaming individuals to analyzing the systemic issues within road design, infrastructure, and traffic management. By identifying and correcting these flaws, Vision Zero strives to create a safe and sustainable mobility environment for all, regardless of transportation mode.
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The Safe System Approach
With Vision Zero as a goal, the Safe System Approach is USDOT’s adopted guiding paradigm for achieving that goal. The Safe System Approach prioritizes the life and health of people using the transportation system and focuses on the responsibility of those who plan and design our transportation system, unlike the traditional traffic safety measures that concentrate on the behaviors of drivers and roadway users. The Safe System Approach anticipates human errors and aims to minimize the risk of these mistakes, ensuring that crashes do not result in serious injury or death.
The Safe System Approach utilizes these principles:
- Deaths and serious injuries are unacceptable
- Humans make mistakes
- Humans are vulnerable
- Responsibility is shared
- Safety is proactive, not reactive
- Redundancy is crucial
This Vision Zero Action Plan will address elements of the Safe System Approach by looking at
- Safe road users
- Safe vehicles
- Safe speeds
- Safe roads
- Post-crash care
Funded by a USDOT grant, this Vision Zero Action Plan (VZAP) will be Wyandotte County’s foundational document to improve roadway safety on our streets and work toward a vision of zero fatalities and serious injuries from traffic crashes. Using years of crash data from the Kansas Department of Transportation, as well as input from the general public and key community stakeholders, it will identify the streets and intersections in our community most in need of safety improvements. This effort will identify the most important focus area for roadway safety in Wyandotte County – for example, impaired driving, speeding, and pedestrian safety. From there, we’ll develop strategies to help us achieve our vision, along with definable actions and performance measures to track our progress.
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The VZAP will be created in collaboration with the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas, and partner Cities of Bonner Springs and Edwardsville. Ultimately, the Wyandotte County Vision Zero Action Plan will provide a roadmap for how the community can eliminate traffic deaths and serious injuries on its streets through improving roadway safety, updating policies to prioritize safety, and equitable and inclusive community engagement.
The Wyandotte County Vision Zero Action Plan goals will be developed through the planning process and guided by a Steering Committee of representatives from organizations and agencies from around the County. The Wyandotte County Vision Zero Plan will focus on:
- All Modes of Transportation - eliminate traffic deaths for people walking, biking, and driving
- Equity - focus on equitable safety solutions prioritized to the areas of greatest need to ensure safe access is available to everyone
- Data-Driven Solutions - based on industry best practices, evidence-based solutions, and local data analysis
- Public Input - guided by feedback from the public
- Education - inform the public of the importance of Vision Zero and a shared responsibility of all roadway users and county officials
- Commitment & Accountability - gain buy-in at all levels of leadership and guide alignment of funding, policies, and processes
- Urgency - focus on quick action to address the urgent need to stop the continued loss of life and severe injuries
Engagement Map
This Engagement Map allows Wyandotte County residents to share your transportation safety concerns and locations you feel to be particularly unsafe while walking, biking, driving, or otherwise getting around. This information will help to inform the ongoing work of the Vision Zero Action Plan.
Request a Speaker
Would you like to learn more or request a presentation on the Vision Zero Action Plan? Or would you like to host us at your community meeting or event? Email Long Range Planner Alyssa Marcy at amarcy@wycokck.org with comments or questions.