Administered by Atlanta Department of Transportation (ATLDOT), Vision Zero is a systems-based approach to eliminating traffic fatalities and serious injuries through safer street design, speed management, and other proven strategies. In April 2020, the City of Atlanta solidified this commitment by passing the Vision Zero ordinance, 20-O-1239, requiring a Vision Zero Action Plan and authorizing a 25 mph default speed limit on many city streets. With the support of the Atlanta Regional Commission and over 35 stakeholder agencies, ATLDOT completed the Vision Zero Action Plan in November 2023, with a goal of meeting Vision Zero by the year 2040.
The City of Atlanta’s Vision Zero Action Plan is dedicated to the memory of our colleague Kemberli Sargent, the City’s first Vision Zero Manager. Each day we were fortunate to work alongside her and witness her genuine passion to secure safe streets for everyone. Kemberli was keenly aware that traffic fatalities constrain the potential of the “Beloved Community.”
Tragically, while attending a transportation planning conference, Kemberli and several colleagues were struck by a speeding driver. After a courageous battle to recover, Kemberli succumbed to her injuries months later. In the wake of this profound loss, we honor her memory and will continue to advocate for change in policy, education, and engineering to prevent future tragedies. We are united in her memory, and with Kemberli’s spirit as our north star, we will continue her work and preserve her legacy—because we are #KemberliStrong!
As a part of its Vision Zero efforts, ATLDOT will prioritize the needs of the city’s most vulnerable roadway users, including pedestrians, bicyclists, children, older adults, and especially those communities in greatest need. Centering equity in all facets of this program will be an integral and intentionally inclusive aspect of Vision Zero Atlanta. This equity framework will be used to identify opportunities for tailored engagement throughout our Vision Zero work and will be encompassed in ATLDOT’s project prioritization.
To learn more about the Vision Zero Action Plan planning process, please visit the Vision Zero plan webpage at ATLVisionZero.com.
ATLDOT developed an online dashboard to track the serious injuries and fatalities occurring on Atlanta’s roads, as well as to guide decision making and keep the public informed on our progress towards Vision Zero. The dashboard contains information on crashes within the City of Atlanta and can be filtered by injury, date, time, travel mode, location, manner of collision, road type, and/or road ownership. Traffic fatalities are compiled and reported monthly by ATLDOT through its partnership with the Atlanta Police Department (APD), the medical examiner’s office, and local hospitals.
The Fatal Crash Review Commission (FCRC) is a quarterly review of all fatal surface street crashes. Eight members of the commission represent the multi-disciplinary nature of reducing serious injury and fatal crashes and will provide recommendations on how to provide a phased approach to creating safer streets at fatal crash locations.
Tactical urbanism is a low-cost, temporary strategy for changing our streets and public spaces, while advancing longer-term goals related to safety and better design. In collaboration with the Department of City Planning, Atlanta Department of Transportation has developed a guide and process to allow communities to lead these design changes on their neighborhood streets.
In August 2022, the Atlanta Department of Transportation (ATLDOT) installed a pilot pedestrian scramble (diagonal crossing) at the intersection of 10th Street NE and Piedmont Avenue NE to assess traffic flow and gather data to develop strategies for making the intersection safer for all users. The pilot was based on potential intersection safety improvements within the Central Midtown Connection Plan. The pedestrian scramble received overwhelming public support and approval in a survey of users at the conclusion of the pilot. Use the link below to review a summary of the pilot project.
Atlanta Streets Alive is a FREE community event series that celebrates Atlanta's urban core and supports local business with temporary car-free streets. Over three Sundays in 2023 from September through November, and eight Sundays April through November 2024, approximately three miles of Peachtree Street will close to cars and open to people!
Safe Routes to School (SRTS) is a national movement aiming to make it safer and more accessible for students to walk and bike safely to school. SRTS programs are designed to make school zones and streets within the vicinity of schools safer for our youth and most vulnerable road users.
Using Neighborhood Statistical Area level data, Atlanta Department of Transportation (ATL DOT) analyzed nine socio-economic indicators to determine which communities are reliant on walking, bicycling, or taking transit, but also significantly burdened by the costs associated with a serious injury or fatal crash. These are our most vulnerable communities, or “Communities of Concern”.
