Program Area(s):
Date: June 21, 2022
Author(s): Kimberly Venegas
Abstract
Los Angeles has one of the highest traffic-related fatality rates in the country. For this reason, in 2015, Mayor Eric Garcetti and the city’s Department of Transportation adopted Vision Zero, with the goal to achieve a 20% reduction in traffic fatalities by 2017, and to fully eliminate traffic fatalities by 2025. Despite this, 2021 marked the highest death toll in Los Angeles in nearly two decades. A 2017 Los Angeles Vision Zero Safety Study found that driving speed is a top contributor to collision fatalities. An increase in driving speed from 20 mph to 40 mph decreases a person’s chance of surviving a crash from 80% to 10%. The study also found that pedestrians are the most vulnerable road users and account for 44% of all collision fatalities despite being involved in only 8% of collisions.
Road diets, also known as lane reconfigurations, consist of converting vehicle travel lanes to serve other uses, such as providing pedestrian or cycling access. These road diets can help achieve the Vision Zero policy goal by discouraging speeding and reducing risky lane changes to improve road safety.
About the Project
This capstone project was completed in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree Master of Urban & Regional Planning at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs.