HomeMy WebLinkAbout2023-03-21; City Council; Resolution 2023-089RESOLUTION NO. 2023-089
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CARLSBAD,
CALIFORNIA, ENDORSING THE VISION ZERO GOAL TO ACHIEVE ZERO
TRAFFIC-RELATED DEATHS OR SERIOUS INJURIES IN THE CITY OF CARLSBAD
WHEREAS, the safety and well-being of the Carlsbad community is of utmost importance to
the City Council; and
WHEREAS, in May 2022, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration projected the
highest number of fatalities nationwide since 2005 and the largest annual percentage increase in the
Fatality Analysis Reporting System's history; and
WHEREAS, behind each of these numbers is a life tragically lost and a family left behind; and
WHEREAS, the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration's Fatality Analysis
Reporting System has found fatalities among pedestrians and bicyclists have increased more than
other modes of travel; and
WHEREAS, Carlsbad has seen local evidence of this trend, with injury collisions in Carlsbad
increasing by 40% during the five-year period from September 2017 to September 2022; and
WHEREAS, the U.S. Department of Transportation adopted a National Roadway Safety
Strategy in January 2022, which states, "Reaching zero (deaths) will require U.S. DOT to work with
the entire roadway transportation community and the American people to lead a significant cultural
shift that treats roadway deaths as unacceptable and preventable;" and
WHEREAS, in 2022, the California Department of Transportation reaffirmed its vision of
reaching zero fatalities and serious injuries on state highways by 2050; and
WHEREAS, in 2022, the San Diego Association of Governments passed a resolution setting
forth support to create a Vision Zero Action Plan for the San Diego region; and
WHEREAS, the California Office of Traffic Safety has joined the U.S. Department of
Transportation in supporting a safe systems approach to traffic safety, which includes the following
principles: deaths and serious injuries are unacceptable, humans make mistakes, humans are
vulnerable, responsibility is shared, safety is proactive, and redundancy is crucial; and
WHEREAS, the safe systems approach calls for multiple layers of protection to prevent serious
injuries and deaths on our roadways, four of which are within the city's sphere of influence: 1)
promoting safe, responsible behavior by people who use our roads; 2) creating road environments to
mitigate human mistakes, encourage safer behaviors and facilitate safe travel by the most vulnerable
users; 3) establishing safer speeds in all roadway environments through a combination of thoughtful,
context-appropriate roadway design, targeted education and outreach campaigns, and enforcement;
and 4) enhancing the survivability of crashes through expedient access to emergency medical care,
while creating a safe working environment for vital first responders and preventing secondary crashes
through robust traffic incident management practices; and
WHEREAS, in 2008, the State of California passed Assembly Bill 1358, the California
Complete Streets Act, which requires all circulation elements developed after Jan. 1, 2011, to
include a complete streets approach that balances the needs of all users of the street, including
motorists, pedestrians, bicyclists, children, persons with disabilities, seniors, movers of commercial
goods and users of public transportation; and
WHEREAS, increasing travel options through enhanced walking, bicycling and public
transportation systems is a core element of the Carlsbad Community Vision; and
WHEREAS, the City of Carlsbad already has transportation policies in place and is actively
implementing projects, programs and initiatives consistent with Vision Zero, including the General
Plan Mobility Element, the Sustainable Mobility Plan, the Local Roadway Safety Plan and the Safer
Streets Together Action Plan; and
WHEREAS, the City of Carlsbad's General Plan Mobility Element, adopted by the City Council
September 15, 2015, "is more than implementation of a state-mandated approach during a general
plan update process. It is a fundamental shift in how the city will plan and design the street system -
recognizing the street as a public space and ensuring that the public space serves all users of the
system (elderly, children, bicycles, pedestrians, etc.)"; and
WHEREAS, the Mobility Element emphasizes the need for a balanced approach to street
design that prioritizes different modes of travel, such as driving, biking and walking, depending on
the size, location and purpose of each street, meaning, for example, wider, faster streets will focus
on car travel, and smaller, neighborhood streets will give a higher priority to biking and walking; and
WHEREAS, on January 12, 2021, the City Council approved a Sustainable Mobility Plan to
implement the principles and policies in the General Plan Mobility Element; and
WHEREAS, on August 30, 2022, the City Council ratified a local traffic safety emergency
proclamation following a more than 200% increase in collisions involving bikes and e-bikes since
2019;and
WHEREAS, on September 27, 2022, city staff presented a Safer Streets Together Action Plan,
which prioritizes education, engineering and enforcement initiatives and commits to data-driven
decisions about traffic safety; and
WHEREAS, on November 15, 2022, the City Council adopted the city's first Local Roadway
Safety Plan, a data-driven plan that provides a framework to identify, analyze and prioritize roadway
safety improvements to reduce fatalities and serious injuries on the local roadway network; and
WHEREAS, roadway safety is also foundational to addressing two other major city priorities:
equity and environmental sustainability; and
WHEREAS, the City of Carlsbad's Climate Action Plan, approved by the City Council on
September 22, 2015, includes projects, programs and initiatives focused on making alternatives to
single vehicle trips safe, accessible and convenient;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of Carlsbad, California, as
follows:
1.That the above recitations are true and correct.
2.That the City Council endorses the aspirational Vision Zero goal of eliminating all traffic
fatalities and serious injuries by 2050.
3.That annual city work plans and budgets will reflect the priority of this goal.
PASSED, APPROVED AND ADOPTED at a Regular Meeting of the City Council of the City of
Carlsbad on the 21st day of March, 2023, by the following vote, to wit:
AYES:
NAYS:
ABSTAIN:
ABSENT:
Blackburn, Bhat-Patel, Acosta, Burkholder, Luna.
None.
None.
None.
KEITH BLACKBURN, Mayor
ff'/ _l , SHERRY FREISINGER, City Clerk 7v-(SEAL)