Vision Zero

Working together to create a Safe System

March 2025

Early in her administration, Mayor Parker signed Executive Order No. 4-24 that recommits Philadelphia, through Vision Zero, to eliminating all traffic deaths on Philadelphia Streets. It calls for a comprehensive, Safe Systems approach to traffic safety and breaks down silos, fostering intergovernmental collaboration as One Philly.

Every Philadelphian deserves to be able to get home safely, no matter if they choose to travel by foot, by transit, by bike, or by personal vehicle.
Mayor Cherelle L. Parker

Vision Zero Philadelphia is a collaborative effort led by the City of Philadelphia to improve traffic safety on city streets toward the goal of zero traffic deaths. This work empowers communities, designs and builds safe streets, promotes safe and healthy modes of transportation, and enacts policies across all sectors and levels of government. Vision Zero acknowledges that traffic deaths are preventable, and that traffic design interventions enhance the safety of all road users.

High Injury Network

80% of traffic deaths and serious injuries occurred on just 12% of Philadelphia streets.

This 12 percent of streets comprises the High Injury Network based on five-years of crash data (PennDOT, 2014 - 2018; excluding interstates). By analyzing crash data, the Vision Zero Task Force partners can prioritize investments along these corridors to save lives and prevent serious injuries.

Safe System Approach

The Safe System Approach calls for a comprehensive approach to traffic safety that layers Safer People, Safer Speeds, Safer Vehicles, and Safer Streets strategies. Recognizing that not all people or neighborhoods are equally affected by traffic violence, solutions are implemented through a lens of Transportation Equity to ensure that transportation systems meet the needs of all communities. The core principles of the Safe System Approach are:

Human life takes priority over mobility
Human error is inevitable and unpredictable
People are inherently vulnerable, and speed is a fundamental predictor of crash survival
Safe street design, education, and enforcement are essential contributors to a safe system

Safer Speeds

Speed is the top indicator in both the likelihood and the severity of a crash. One of the most effective solutions to slowing drivers down is the deployment of Automated Speed Enforcement (ASE). ASE improves safety by placing cameras along high-speed roads to enforce speed limits.

In 2020, the City and the Philadelphia Parking Authority (PPA) began an ASE pilot program on Roosevelt Boulevard. Since the cameras’ installation, speeding violations on Roosevelt Blvd have decreased by over 95%, fatal and serious injury crashes have decreased 21%, and crashes involving pedestrians have decreased 50%.

The City and PPA are now expanding the ASE program to other corridors and school zones with high levels of speed-related crashes. In December 2023, Governor Shapiro signed HB 1284 into law authorizing permanent speed enforcement on Roosevelt Boulevard, expansion of the program to 5 additional corridors, and a pilot program for ASE in up to 5 designated school zones at a time.

Existing, Approved, and Proposed ASE Corridors and School Zones March 2025:

Safer Streets

Traffic Safety Starts with Complete Streets

Complete Streets safety projects layer proven traffic safety measures to enhance street safety and make our city safer and greener. These safety measures include reducing the number of lanes on a street, vehicle lane narrowing, separated bike lanes, and speed cushions.

Complete street project locations enhanced traffic safety, even after controlling for city-wide trends, including:

Neighborhood Speed Cushions

Speeding on residential streets is a common concern of communities across Philadelphia. Traffic calming solutions, like speed cushions and reduced speed limits, can make streets safer for all residents.

Total Installed Traffic Calming Devices

All traffic calming devices in Philadelphia

In 2024 alone, the Streets Department installed 402 speed cushions throughout the City to reduce speeds and improve safety outcomes.

Safer People

Safe Routes Philly is the City’s youth traffic safety education program. Each year, Safe Routes provides training for educators, resources for families, and support for schools, reaches hundreds of students, teachers, and families across the city. The program provides alternatives to traditional drop-off, like walking school buses. During the 2023-24 school year, Safe Routes supported over ten schools in celebrating Walk, Bike, & Roll to School days.

2023 Pedestrian and Cyclist Crashes

Move the bar to see pedestrian crashes vs. cyclist crashes. View the legend at the bottom left corner of the map.

Pedestrians and Cyclists

Involved in Crashes (2019–2023)

Safer Vehicles

Fleet Services is making big strides in enhancing safety features on the City’s heavy duty fleet vehicles in support of Vision Zero. Since 2019, 346 heavy-duty vehicles have been fitted with safety components. 230 new vehicles on order with these components will replace older vehicles without them. These safety features include 360-degree cameras that provide a complete view of the area surrounding the vehicle and side guards between the wheels of large vehicles ensuring that people walking or biking are not swept under the tires if there is side impact collision.

Upcoming Vision Zero Projects

Capital projects take many years to implement and are often phased to address high priority safety issues. Projects include everything from community engagement on key corridor traffic safety concerns to construction of redesigned corridors and intersections. Projects are developed and delivered by multiple departments including Streets Department, PennDOT, SEPTA, OTIS, PPA, DVRPC, and other partners.

Projects on the High Injury Network (2025)

Action Plan: Learn how to get Involved

The Vision Zero Action Plan outlines the projects and policy changes that the City of Philadelphia plans to pursue to achieve our vision. An updated five-year plan is being developed now for release in Fall 2025. The Vision Zero Action Plan 2030 will guide Philadelphia’s traffic safety initiatives through the end of the decade.

To be effective, both internal and external stakeholders will help inform the plan – feedback from community members is crucial. City staff will conduct roundtable discussions with neighborhood-based groups and surveys will collect feedback online, on paper, and over the phone. Voices from across Philadelphia will guide the plan recommendations.