|Lucy Sinclair, GPCOG Vision Zero|
Every year in New Gloucester, there are an average of 130 car crashes that lead to 43 injuries. Over the past 5 years, 3 people have died on New Gloucester’s roads. These fatalities and injuries are preventable and the regional Vision Zero action plan that is currently being developed aims to reduce and eventually eliminate fatalities and serious injuries from the region’s roads.
Vision Zero is a strategy to eliminate all traffic fatalities and serious injuries, largely through policy and infrastructure changes. The concept was developed in Sweden in the 1990s, where it has been successful at significantly reducing fatal and serious crashes. It is now being adopted throughout the United States and across the world. The Vision Zero approach turns certain traditional assumptions about traffic safety on their head. Traffic deaths are seen as preventable instead of an inevitable cost of doing business on our roads. The human mistakes that we all make are integrated into our infrastructure and policy instead of designing a system that relies on perfect human behavior.
The Greater Portland Council of Governments is developing a Vision Zero action plan for the region’s rural communities, including New Gloucester, Gray, Durham, Pownal, Bridgton, Casco, Chebeague Island, Frye Island, Harrison, Long Island, Naples, and Sebago. The action plan will combine insight from crash data and community input to identify safety priorities and outline actionable strategies that address the unique safety concerns of rural roads.
New Gloucester residents shared their traffic safety concerns with the Vision Zero team during the New Gloucester Fire Station Open House on October 14, where they had the opportunity to take surveys and pinpoint areas of concern on a map of the town. Community input is vital to the plan, as it will help to identify problem areas and inform what types of changes need to be made. If you missed the Fire Station Open House, there will be a Vision Zero workshop at the Gray Library on Wednesday November 29 from 6:00-8:00 PM. The workshop will have a short presentation in the beginning, but feel free to drop in to participate in activities and learn more about the project throughout the time. There will also be a virtual workshop on December 6 from 12:00-1:00 PM for those who cannot attend in person or you can share your concerns on the survey and interactive map online. For more information about these events or the project in general visit visionzerogreaterportland.org.
