According to the Center for Disease Control, 33,700 people died from vehicle crashes in 2014 alone. D.C. suburb Alexandria, Virginia is trying to do its part to change that. 

The city of Alexandria has announced an ambitious goal to eliminate roadway deaths and serious injuries by 2028, according to a WAMU segment. This initiative is known as Vision Zero and it has already been adopted by DC and Montgomery County, Maryland.

In recent years, the city of Alexandria has made progress by increasing police enforcement and lowering speed limits, which have in turn reduced major crashes. The number of fatal crashes in Alexandria dropped from 55 in 2011 to 22 in 2016. In 2017, four Alexandria residents were killed in crashes. But even one incident can shake a community like Alexandria, whose population is 140,000. 

But there is still work to be done. For example, there are existing roads and intersections that make it easy for motorists to speed. Some say urban design is to blame. 

“The way that we look at our streets as public spaces needs to change,” said Yon Lambert, director of the Alexandria Department of Transportation and Environmental Services. “We have been redesigning our streets over the years to make sure people can safely move throughout the city.”

According to urban mobility consultant Gabe Klein, more and more cities like Alexandria are beginning to come to terms with an inevitable reality: that the future will belong to pedestrians and bike riders, not just motorists.

“Vision Zero is becoming a pro-business, pro-environment, and pro-people strategy,” he said.