U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer and two of his Congressional colleagues who advocate for bike infrastructure and safety projects introduced legislation Wednesday to expand Vision Zero, the international campaign to curb traffic deaths, nationally.

Blumenauer, the Portland Democrat, introduced the Vision Zero Act of 2019 along with Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., and Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Fla. The bill allows federal funds to trickle down to cities to help them “design and implement Vision Zero programs” and sets guidelines that a city or local government’s plan can’t go beyond 20 years.

“We cannot accept the failure of rising traffic deaths, especially considering those deaths disproportionately impact low income and vulnerable communities,” Blumenauer said in a statement. “The Vision Zero Act will allow federal funding to aid in reducing preventable traffic fatalities that are devastating communities across the country. Everyone deserves access to safe, equitable transportation options.”

On Tuesday, new federal traffic fatality data were released for last year and the first half of 2019. According to those figures, overall traffic fatalities have declined nationally for the past two years, and that trend is continuing into the first half of 2019.

So far in 2019, Portland, one of more than 40 cities that already has a Vision Zero plan, traffic deaths are up considerably. Portland formally codified its Vision Zero action plan in 2016, and it uses a combination of local, state and federal to pay for transportation safety projects citywide. Portland is trying to eliminate all traffic fatalities by 2025. The overarching mission of Vision Zero centers on three e’s: enforcing traffic laws, engineering roads to better account for vulnerable people like bicyclists and pedestrians and educating the public about the risks of speeding, distracted driving and driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

While national traffic deaths are declining, the number of pedestrians and bicyclists killed continues to rise. Some 6,283 pedestrians died last year, a 3.4% spike from the previous year. While an estimated 857 bicyclists or riders of what the government classifies as “nonmotorized vehicles, tricycles, and unicycles powered solely by pedals” died last year, 6.3% more than in 2017.

“The only acceptable goal for traffic deaths and serious injuries is zero,” said Jillian Detweiler, executive director of the Portland-based advocacy group The Street Trust. “Traffic deaths and serious injuries are concentrated in low income communities, and every one of these tragedies impacts a broader community of family and friends. Communities that refuse to be complacent about crashes need support to plan and implement ways to make streets safer.”

-- Andrew Theen

atheen@oregonian.com

503-294-4026

@andrewtheen

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