The City of Livermore is drafting a Vision Zero Action Plan (VZAP) as part of a wider push by several federal, state and local agencies to improve roadway safety.

• The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has committed to eliminating fatalities and serious injuries on the nation's roadways using a data-driven interdisciplinary approach.
• The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) and the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) have adopted the goal of moving towards zero road fatalities, focusing on proven effective strategies and countermeasures.

A VZAP plan is also required for state and federal funding programs, such as the FHWA Safe Streets and Roads Safety Improvements Grants and the One Bay Area Grant (OBAG).

From 2020 to 2024, the City of Livermore witnessed a concerning number of collisions on City streets, resulting in 10 fatalities and 47 severe injury crashes.

• 81 % of these crashes occurred at or near intersections.
• 21 % of these crashes involved pedestrians
• 14% of these crashes involved bicycles.

The primary factors causing these collisions were:

• traveling at an unsafe speed and
• driving under the influence (DUI).

Addressing pedestrian and bicyclist safety concerns, as well as speeding issues, has been highlighted as a priority by the community.  

Creating an action plan will take a comprehensive and data-driven approach to address traffic-related deaths and severe injuries. The ultimate goal is to reduce and eventually eliminate traffic fatalities and severe injuries, promote safe mobility for all road users, and foster a safe, healthy, and inclusive city. 

• death and serious injuries are unacceptable,
• humans make mistakes,
• humans are vulnerable,
• responsibility is shared,
• safety is proactive, and
• redundancy is crucial.

• Traffic deaths and severe injuries are preventable.
• Human life and health are prioritized within all aspects of transportation systems.
• Human error is inevitable, and transportation systems should be designed to be forgiving.
• Speed is recognized as the fundamental factor in crash severity.

• Safety work should focus on systems-level changes above influencing individual behavior. 

The Vision Zero Action Plan will work to:

• Enhance street design and infrastructure to minimize the risk of crashes and foster safer environments for all road users.

• Transform roadway corridors on a high-injury networks into complete streets with safety improvements.

• Support the development of a bikeway network with bicycle lanes for different roadway volumes & speeds.

• Create safe routes to school and public transit services.

• Evaluate and improve the safety of intersections by considering innovative design.

• Increase compliance with traffic laws and reduce dangerous driving behaviors.

• Promote public education on safe driving practices.

• Prioritize funding to align with safety/multimodal projects.