Vision Zero

Kirkland Vision Zero logoGoal T-1. By 2035, eliminate all transportation related fatal and serious injury crashes in Kirkland.

Safety is the first goal in Kirkland’s Transportation Strategic Plan which includes Policy T-1.1 to implement the Vision Zero Action Plan and track progress annually. The City's first Vision Zero Action Plan(PDF, 5MB) was adopted June 2022.

Vision Zero emphasizes that people of all ages and abilities deserve to move safely throughout their communities. In order to attain the goal of zero fatalities and serious injuries, Vision Zero focuses on a Safe Systems approach to drive our objectives and plan implementation.

Kirkland has made great strides with designing a safer roadway system for all users, but we are still seeing injuries and fatalities within our city. It is the collective responsibility of system designers and policy makers to ensure safe systems for travel, and Vision Zero is an innovative, ever-improving approach to address these issues.

Vision Zero explanation table

The Vision Zero Action Plan:

  • Evaluates crash data to identify areas with crash patterns and indicators
  • Prioritizes Safe Street Design, Operations, and Investments
  • Prioritizes building a Robust and Transparent Data Framework for evaluating and sharing crash data
  • Promotes and Institutionalizes a Culture of Safety

Fatal and Serious Injury Traffic Collision Dashboard

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Screenshot of Vision Zero Dashboard

Vision Zero Dashboard FAQ

What is Vision Zero?
Vision Zero is the goal for zero transportation related fatalities and serious injuries on Kirkland streets by 2035. Traffic deaths and serious injuries are preventable and unacceptable. Intervention requires a proactive, systems-based approach that not only integrates human behavior through education, but also incorporates engineering design, transportation policies, and enforcement. This is what we call the Safe System Approach.  The five core objectives of this Safe System Approach include Safer People, Safer Roads, Safer Vehicles, Safer Speeds, and Post-Crash Care.  

 

What is the City doing to reach Vision Zero?
Kirkland’s Vision Zero Action Plan(PDF, 5MB) outlines four key objectives: 1. Prioritize Safe Street Design, 2. Operate Safe Streets, 3. Build a Robust and Transparent Data Framework, and 4. Promote and Institutionalize a Culture of Safety. To highlight a few of the strategies and actions beneath these objectives the City is actively working on, The City is developing a Safety Action Plan which is evaluating high crash corridors and intersections to identify engineering countermeasures and updating the speed limit setting policy. The City also has a number of capital improvement projects in construction to improve multimodal safety on major roadways including Juanita Drive, 100th Ave NE, 124th Ave NE, Central Way and NE 124th St. The comprehensive vision for the Kirkland’s transportation system to be safe, connected, and multimodal is defined with goals, policies, projects and programs in the Transportation Strategic Plan.  

 

Why do we have this dashboard?
A dashboard was identified as one of the action items in Kirkland’s Vision Zero Action Plan to provide more transparent data to the public. 

 

Where does this crash data come from?
This data is generated from state and local law enforcement traffic and collision reports. See also “About the Data” on the dashboard. 

 

Why am I not seeing a crash that I know about?
This dashboard only displays crashes that have been reported through law enforcement. There may be a delay in the crash report data entry into the online database based on the type or severity of crash, if it was reported by another jurisdiction, or if there is an ongoing investigation the report may not be entered until after the investigation is concluded.  

 

How does Kirkland crash data compare with other cities? 
Many other agencies have also adopted Vision Zero Goals. The Washington Traffic Safety Commission also publishes several crash data dashboards for the state.

 

Is the City reducing speed limits?
The City is updating the citywide speed limit setting policy as part of a Safety Action Plan funded by the Federal Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) grant program. It is anticipated this speed limit policy will be updated and ready for Council consideration by the end of 2025. Implementation of speed limit changes would happen following this policy change on a project-by-project basis. 

 

Besides speed limits, what other tools does the City use to make Safer Roads?
The City utilizes a number of roadway designs and engineering countermeasures for safer streets. This includes things like signal timings such as leading pedestrian intervals, protected intersections to improve visibility of pedestrians and bicycles and slow turning vehicles, traffic calming measures such as medians and radar feedback signs, roadway lighting, clear signage, and much more. The City also has an adopted Complete Streets Policy and integrates all modes of travel in the planning, scoping, development, construction, operation and maintenance of all transportation projects.   

 

Who can I contact if I have more questions? 
Check out Our Kirkland for answers to other common questions or to submit a service request. For questions specific to this dashboard, you can email the Transportation Division