(The opinions and views expressed in the commentaries and letters to the Editor of The Somerville Times belong solely to the authors and do not reflect the views or opinions of The Somerville Times, its staff or publishers.)

By Joseph A. Curtatone

Taking a closer look at notable city data—and interesting numbers.  We recently released a draft of the City’s Vision Zero plan. Below are some of interesting numbers from it, and you can see the full plan and learn more about getting involved at https://www.somervillema.gov/visionzero.

0 traffic fatalities or serious injuries: Somerville is one of around 40 communities in the U.S. to join the international Vision Zero movement. The idea behind Vision Zero is that there should be no traffic fatalities and no serious traffic injuries and that communities have the power to reduce and even eliminate crashes with severe consequences. Vision Zero also emphasizes that drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians are people who will make mistakes on the road, so communities need to adopt policies and design their roads and other infrastructure to account for human error.

125 miles: Somerville has 125 miles of streets, with almost all having sidewalks. We also have about 20 miles of designated bicycle facilities and just over 28 miles of streets that are marked for shared vehicle/bicycle use. Part of Vision Zero is working to make sure all of this infrastructure is designed and maintained in a way that makes it safe for all users.

90%: Slowing down vehicle traffic through traffic calming is one way to make the streets safer for everyone. Data shows that crashes that happen at lower speeds are less likely to result in fatalities or severe injuries. For example, if a pedestrian is hit by a vehicle at 20 mph they have a 90% chance of survival. That drops to 50% if the vehicle is traveling at 30 mph and 10% at 40 mph. In December 2016, we lowered our citywide speed limit to 25 mph and implemented 20 mph safety zones around high-traffic areas like parks, houses of worship, schools, and senior housing. At the end of 2018, we had about 22 miles of streets in safety zones.

7 mph: There are many strategies for traffic calming including speed bumps and tables, narrowing the road, and lane shifts. But traffic calming techniques don’t always involve major changes to the roadway; sometimes a little paint gets the job done. We found that average speeds dropped 7 mph – from 30 to 23 mph – near the intersection of Broadway and Glenwood Road when we used red paint on a mid-block crosswalk.

92 goals: The draft Vision Zero plan proposes 92 goals to be implemented over the next five years. They’re focused on four main areas – gathering data, safe street design, operating safe streets, and cultivating a culture of safety. Some goals focus on City work, like repairing at least two miles of sidewalk per year and making sure City staff and contractors get appropriate truck safety training. Other goals extend to the community, like working with rideshare companies on an anti-dooring campaign and educating students about pedestrian safety.

Everyone: For Vision Zero to be successful, we need everyone to be involved. On www.somervillema.gov/visionzero you can find the full draft plan. We’re looking for feedback on the plan, which you can submit online (we have a tool that allows you to comment directly on the draft document). Or come talk with us at one of three upcoming evening open house meetings on Jan. 21, Jan. 30, and Feb. 5 (details are at www.somervillema.gov/visionzero or call 311). And, most importantly, you can help us reach our Vision Zero goal by following the rules of the road and making sure you’re driving, biking, or walking in a way that ensures safety for everyone on the road.

Data-based decision making is at the core of how the City of Somerville develops policy and sets priorities. Every day we check the latest 311 stats, and throughout the week we meet for in-depth review of departmental data and city trends. The Data Download column shares some of the data we’ve been reviewing recently, as well as interesting updates. To see more Somerville Data, visit the online Somerville Data Farm at www.somervillema.gov/datafarm.