Join Hillsborough MPO in Vision Zero Community Workshop on January 31

Tampa Bay area bicycle and pedestrian safety advocates will hit the streets for a field review of Hillsborough Avenue during the second of four Vision Zero Workshops, taking place on Jan. 31 from 9 a.m. - 11 a.m. at the Town 'N Country Regional Library, 7606 Paula Drive.

Workshop attendees will have the opportunity to join the MPO, Hillsborough County Sheriff's office staff, and students and seniors from the neighboring middle school and senior center on a walking audit of Hillsborough Avenue and Hanley Road, where they will observe traveler behavior and road design to determine whether pedestrian access and safety are taken into account at nearby destinations, and what improvements might be made.  

Following the field review, the Vision Zero committee will break into four Action Track teams to begin developing each group's action plans for 2017. The Vision Zero Action tracks are as follows: 

• Paint Saves Lives: low-cost, high-impact engineering strategies for safer streets
• One Message, Many Voices: public education and awareness strategies
• Consistent and Fair: community-oriented law enforcement
• The Future Will Not Be Like the Past: context-sensitive design for walkable communities

Currently, the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater region ranks seventh in the nation for pedestrian fatalities, with 821 pedestrians killed over a 10-year period through 2014, according to the biennial Dangerous by Design report released by Smart Growth America on Jan. 10. Though still listed in the top ten most dangerous places, the Tampa region did make a shift away from its 2nd place position, which was reflected in the previous report in 2014. 

By the end of 2017, the Vision Zero Action Plan aims to outline steps that will move Hillsborough County to its goal of zero traffic deaths. 

The public is welcome and encouraged to attend all Vision Zero workshops, and to join Vision Zero Action Tracks to brainstorm solutions for safer streets. 

Can't make it to the Jan. 31 workshop? Get involved any time by adding your voice to the Vision Zero Interactive Map of Hillsborough County and sharing site-specific traffic concerns with the MPO. Scroll down the Vision Zero Action Plan page to find the map, select "Pinpoint Safety Concerns" and click "Points" to place your comments and safety concerns on the map. 

Want to learn more about the Hillsborough MPO's revolutionary Vision Zero initiative and to get connected for future upcoming workshops and events? Follow the new Vision Zero Hillsborough Facebook page.

Read more stories about Vision Zero in 83 Degrees.