REPORT TO THE CITY COUNCIL
FROM: SCOTT L. MOZIER, PE, Director
Public Works Department
BY: JILL M. GORMLEY, TE, Assistant Director
Public Works Department, Traffic & Engineering Services Division
ANDREINA AGUILAR, Chief Engineering Technician
Public Works Department, Traffic & Engineering Services Division
SUBJECT
Title
RESOLUTION - To Adopt the City of Fresno Vision Zero Action Plan (Citywide)
Body
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends City Council adopt the Resolution of the City of Fresno Vision Zero Action Plan.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The City of Fresno Vision Zero Action Plan (Action Plan) establishes a comprehensive, data-driven framework to eliminate traffic fatalities and severe injuries on city streets by 2050 through a Safe System Approach that prioritizes human life, anticipates human error, and prioritizes safety in transportation decisions. Fresno is facing a traffic safety crisis, with 217 fatalities and 629 severe-injury crashes between 2019 and 2023, with crashes disproportionately impacting vulnerable road users. The Action Plan responds to this crisis with coordinated policies, programs, and strategies that will have the greatest impact particularly on high-collision corridors and priority locations.
Adopting the Action Plan will formalize the City’s commitment to work towards eliminating traffic fatalities and serious injuries, align safety goals, maintain eligibility for state and federal grant funding, and establish clear measures for implementation and progress tracking measures. Staff recommend the City Council adopt the Action Plan to reinforce its commitment to proactive, citywide traffic safety.
BACKGROUND
Vision Zero is a nationally, and internationally, recognized approach that acknowledges traffic deaths and severe injuries are preventable and unacceptable. The United States Department of Transportation (US DOT) has declared traffic safety as a crisis and calls for the need of an “all-of-America response to address the crisis” (US DOT, Progress Report on the National Roadway Safety Strategy, February 2023). The State of California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) is “responding to this crisis with urgency and calling upon all state and local partners to join us in this critical work to save lives.” (California OTS, Highway Safety Plan, 2024-2026). In 2024, Smart America Growth, Dangerous by Design, ranked the Fresno Metro Area as the seventh most dangerous metros for pedestrians. The City of Fresno responded to the state and federal call-for-action by pursuing and successfully receiving a US DOT Safe Streets for All Program planning grant, to develop and adopt a Vision Zero Action Plan (Action Plan). The Action Plan was developed with extensive community engagement, a multi-agency Vision Zero Task Force, and a five year of crash data analysis (2019-2023). The Action Plan builds upon more than a decade of local and regional safety initiatives, including the City’s Complete Streets Policy, Safe Routes to School efforts, and speed management actions.
Vision Zero Action Plan
The Vision Zero Action Plan, found in Exhibit A and related appendix in Exhibit B, establishes a proposed goal to eliminate traffic fatalities and severe injuries by 2050 aligning with the State of California’s goal, affirming that loss of life on city streets is preventable and unacceptable. The Action Plan is grounded in the Safe System Approach, which prioritizes human life and health by recognizing shared responsibility among roadway users, designers, and policymakers; anticipating human error, encouraging safe human behavior, and designing streets that reduce the severity of crashes when they occur.
Through the analysis of collision data, the Action Plan identifies the High Injury Network (HIN) that represents approximately 14 percent of the City’s roadway system but accounts for nearly 89 percent of fatal and severe injury crashes. This data-driven approach enables the City to strategically focus systemic safety improvements and targeted investments on arterials and collectors where collisions are most concentrated. Priority projects emphasize improvements along five corridors and five intersections during the first five years of implementation.
The Action Plan is rooted in an equitable, people-first process shaped by citywide community engagement, including multilingual outreach, surveys, 12 pop-up events, one walking event, three bike events, two focus groups, and collaboration with over 23 local Community Based Organizations (CBOs). Engagement efforts focused on populations disproportionately affected, including pedestrians, bicyclists, youth, and seniors.
Staff presented the Vision Zero Action Plan Workshop to the City Council on April 23, 2026. The presentation provided updates on the purpose of the Action Plan, data analysis, community outreach and engagement efforts, recommended policies and programs, the public review period, and next steps. The Council offered feedback and support as the City moves towards adopting the Action Plan.
Implementation policies, programs, and strategies include aspects of the Safe System Approach, advancing coordinated actions related to safe road users, safe vehicles, safe speeds, safe roads, post-crash care, and safety data. These actions are supported by establishing a standing Vision Zero Task Force, aligning priorities with future funding opportunities, and transparent progress tracking through a public collision-data dashboard and public updates. Together, these elements provide a comprehensive and actionable framework to guide progress towards safer streets citywide. Adoption of the City of Fresno Vision Zero Action Plan is a critical step to addressing a local traffic safety crisis with urgency, coordination, and accountability.
Staff recommend the City Council adopt the City of Fresno Vision Zero Action Plan.
ENVIRONMENTAL FINDINGS
By the definition provided in the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines Section 15378, action does not qualify as a “project”.
LOCAL PREFERENCE
Local preference was not considered because this project does not include a bid or award of a construction or service contract.
FISCAL IMPACT
There is no fiscal impact associated with this action of adopting the plan. Implementation of future projects or programs is subject to future City budget appropriations.
Attachments:
Exhibit A- City of Fresno Vision Zero Action Plan
Exhibit B- Vision Zero Action Plan Appendix A
Exhibit C- Resolution for Vision Zero Adoption