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Vision Zero

Bike Talk: SFMTA’s Failed Vision Zero Effort

Nick Richert, host of 'Bike Talk,' the premier radio program on all things bikey, goes into more depth with Streetsblog editor Roger Rudick and advocate Stacey Randecker about San Francisco's failed attempt at Vision Zero

Photo: Streetsblog/Rudick

Note: GJEL Accident Attorneys regularly sponsors coverage on Streetsblog San Francisco and Streetsblog California. Unless noted in the story, GJEL Accident Attorneys is not consulted for the content or editorial direction of the sponsored content.

It's ten years since San Francisco signed its "Vision Zero" pledge to end all fatal traffic crashes, and things are worse than ever, with 39 deaths in 2022 and 23 tabulated so far for 2023. Bottom line, the city has failed to achieve its goals and there's little sign that things are improving.

A chart of fatalities over the years. Source: the City of San Francisco

Just before the holiday break, Streetsblog editor Roger Rudick wrote a commentary accusing SFMTA and San Francisco's politicians of faking the entire effort by building plastic and paint instead of concrete infrastructure. BikeTalk, the premier radio program on all things bikey, was impressed by the piece and asked Rudick and advocate Stacey Randecker to join him in a discussion that aired in various markets across the country over the weekend. The Rudick-Randecker segment starts at 15:46 and is now available to podcast.

The full show, entitled "Connecting the DOTs," starts with a segment with LADOT’s Senior Traffic Engineer Tim Fremaux about LA's Mobility Plan. It ends with a talk about biking in Tokyo with the Cycling Embassy of Japan ambassadors James Szypula and Chad Feyen. All three conversations are worth a listen.

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