A section of Park Street in Brooklyn was recently reconstructed to be safer for pedestrians and cyclists. | News4Jax
Published on July 24, 2025 at 5:15 pm
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The city of Jacksonville is seeking to eliminate traffic deaths and cut serious injuries in half by 2035, adopting a “Vision Zero Action Plan” introduced on Thursday.
The strategy — known as VZAP — is gaining momentum in major cities across the country. It includes steps to prevent fatal crashes with a plan built on five pillars: engineering, education, enforcement, evaluation and engagement.
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Mayor Donna Deegan said elements of the plan are already happening. She referred to the city’s completion this week of the “Park Street Road Diet,” which shrunk the road from four lanes to two and incorporated several of the pillars to improve pedestrian safety.
Deegan said Vision Zero promises a safer Jacksonville. “No one should fear walking to school. Or biking to work or driving to see family,” she said. “Vision Zero promises a safer Jacksonville for every person in every neighborhood, no matter how they travel.”
The city’s bicycle-pedestrian coordinator, Matt Fall, said Jacksonville is the 15th most dangerous city in the U.S. for pedestrians and the third most dangerous for cyclists.
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Between 2018 and 2023, nearly 200,000 crashes killed 921 people and and seriously injured 2,771, he said.
“That’s 3,600 people hurt or killed including pedestrians, bicyclists and motorcyclists.” he said.
The U.S. Department of Transportation gave Jacksonville $300,000 to develop the Vision Zero plan, plus $1.2 million for a series of quick-build, high-impact road safety designs.
The city has identified where the most severe and deadly incidents have happened. Fall said the city has launched two Vision Zero dashboards, which are up on the city’s website.
“One to track crash trends and the other to highlight safety projects across the city over the years to come,” Fall said. “These tools will help the public and city leaders monitor our progress and guide future investments as we work toward our shared goal of eliminating all traffic deaths and reducing serious injuries.”
The full plan and dashboard are at “Vision Zero Action Plan.”
Key components of the plan include:
- High injury network identification: Pinpointing corridors with the highest rates of accidents to prioritize interventions.
- Policy rcommendations: Developing practical solutions, such as improved crosswalks, bike lanes and speed limits, to address safety concerns.
- Measurable performance targets: Setting clear goals to track progress and ensure accountability.
- Comprehensive crash analysis: Conducting in-depth studies to understand the causes of accidents and inform targeted interventions.
Deegan stressed the human toll of traffic deaths.
“Behind every crash is a story; a parent, a child, a neighbor,” she said. She referred to the deaths of Michell Patch, a math teacher at Bayview Elementary, and his 1-year-old child Everett, who were hit and killed while crossing Baymeadows Road in May.
Deegan commended City Councilman Joe Carlucci, who pursued safety improvements on Baymeadows after the deaths and just announced that a crosswalk and flashing lights will be put there.
