Can Manatee-Sarasota achieve zero traffic fatalities? It will take new way of thinking
Building a road network that eliminates traffic fatalities seems like a mission impossible.
But that’s the goal of Destination Zero, as described Monday in a workshop hosted by the Sarasota/Manatee Metropolitan Planning Organization.
Even one fatality is too many, agreed a gathering of elected officials, public servants, and citizens at the Bradenton Area Convention Center.
Not that the most dangerous intersections in Manatee-Sarasota are unknown, not that zero fatalities isn’t already a goal, and not that the number of traffic fatalities hasn’t continued to rise over the years.
In 2020, there were 131 traffic fatalities in the two-county area. That compares to 77 in 2011, but the numbers have been up and down over the years, mostly up.
One chart showed that 26% of the fatalities were for those in ages 21-30, while about one-third were of those 65 and older, meaning that virtually every segment of the population in the two-county area is at-risk.
The two-county area registers about two fatalities a week, typically resulting from erratic lane change, a bicycle-pedestrian accident, or at a dangerous intersection. A total of 38% of fatal accidents in Manatee and Sarasota occur in areas with a 45-50 mph speed zone.
One if the most-compelling charts presented Monday was one with the names of every person killed in a local accident between 2011 and 2020.
How to make a change? Eliminate left-hand turns? Add more roundabouts? Boost law enforcement?
Maybe all of the above, but a change in thinking might be even more important, presenters said.
“We can change that if we are willing to put in the work and do something different. It’s a commitment. We don’t have all the answers,” said Christopher Keller, one of the presenters. “The MPO (Metropolitan Planning Organization) is developing an action plan to align with the state’s vision.”
It doesn’t take a traffic engineer to understand that area roads are too dangerous.
“The simple act of going to the grocery store, running an errand, going to work, going to school, or visiting family and friends should not be a near-death experience,” Dave Hutchinson, executive director of the MPO, previously said.
This story was originally published September 27, 2021 at 4:55 PM.
