Los Angeles Receives Vision Zero for Youth Leadership Award

 

The National Center for Safe Routes to School is pleased to announce the City of Los Angeles and the Los Angeles Unified School District are the recipients of the 2017 Vision Zero for Youth Leadership Award. This national award recognizes cities that are leading the way in prioritizing children’s safety and improving pedestrian and bicyclist safety for all ages through Vision Zero. A growing number of cities across the country have adopted Vision Zero plans, committing to ending traffic deaths and serious injuries attributed to collisions on their streets.

The City of Los Angeles and the Los Angeles Unified School District have combined efforts to integrate Safe Routes to School activities and policies into the City’s larger transportation plans, including Vision Zero.

 “Children should be able to make their way to and from school safely,” said Eric Garcetti, Mayor of the City of Los Angeles. “Continuing to make strategic, data-driven approaches to engineering, enforcement, education, and evaluation, in partnership with school communities, will make L.A.’s streets safer.”

 “Students who feel safe and secure on their journey to school are more likely to arrive to school ready to learn,” said Dr. Michelle King, Superintendent of Los Angeles Unified School District. “Walking and biking to school can play a leading role in reversing health problems in children, calming traffic and reducing congestion in school zones.”

Vision Zero for Youth, an initiative launched in 2016 by the National Center for Safe Routes to School, encourages communities to create safer streets starting where youth walk and bike.  “Not only has Los Angeles demonstrated exemplary work in Safe Routes to School and given a model for how improving safety for children should be at the core of Vision Zero initiatives, they were also one of two cities to celebrate the first Walk to School Day in 1997,” said Nancy Pullen-Seufert, Director of the National Center for Safe Routes to School.

Mayor Garcetti symbolically accepted the award in recognition of Walk to School Day on Oct 4, 2017. Official presentation ceremonies will be held in November.

For more information about Vision Zero for Youth, visit visionzeroforyouth.org.

For more information about Los Angeles’ Safe Routes to School program visit: http://saferoutes.lacity.org/.

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National Center for Safe Routes to School

Established in 2006, the National Center for Safe Routes to School helps communities change their culture around safe and active travel.  Its role includes national coordination and technical assistance for US Walk to School Day and Bike to School Day, and providing tools, training, research and evaluation for safe walking and bicycling for children and youth.  The National Center for Safe Routes to School served as US Federal Highway Administration’s clearinghouse for the federal SRTS program for eleven years.

Vision Zero for Youth

Launched by the National Center for Safe Routes to School in 2016, the Vision Zero for Youth initiative encourages communities and elected officials to focus safety improvements and efforts to slow traffic speeds where children and youth travel.  Starting with youth can be the spark that creates community support for a broader Vision Zero program to eliminate all traffic fatalities. The initiative includes resources, ideas for taking action, opportunities for city leaders to commit and a national recognition program. Support for the initiative provided by the FIA Foundation, UNC Highway Safety Research Center and the Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center.