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Sherwood Park — Mayor Don Iveson called for a relaunch of the city’s contentious Vision Zero traffic safety initiative Wednesday, a project that’s drawn the ire of pedestrian advocates.

“The more we draw people out into our streets and public spaces, the more we need to ensure they have a safe and inviting experience,” he said, kicking off a local traffic safety conference in Sherwood Park by calling for a new focus on those most likely to be injured in a collision.

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Edmonton spent $55 million in the last budget cycle to fix potholes on commuter roads and committed to a $1-billion upgrade to move trucks and car traffic safely on Yellowhead Trail, Iveson said. Now it’s time “to build the kind of streets that serve people, particularly our most vulnerable road users.”

Victim blaming

Edmonton launched its Vision Zero initiative in 2015, following a Swedish movement that’s since spread to many cities in North America. Vision Zero policies are intended to reduce major injuries and traffic fatalities through fail-safe design, road systems that might still have fender-benders but don’t rely on a lot of driver education to avoid life-altering consequences.