LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Since 2014, more than 900 Louisvillians have died in crashes on the city's roads, according to Metro Government. Now, a new proposal aims to get that number to zero.
The plan is called 'Vision Zero,’ a national initiative aimed at eliminating traffic deaths. According to its website, cities across the country have adopted it.
Tuesday, Metro Council members will hear a proposal to bring it to Louisville.
WHAS11 News spoke to supporters Wednesday to learn how it would work.
Janet Heston lost her son in 2020 after he was hit by a driver near Iroquois Park.
"It was dusk and the lighting was poor and my son was hit,” Heston said. “My son fell off the hood of his car and was run over by another person."
Heston said speeding was a factor; however, she said there were other issues at hand -- wide lanes and poor lighting.
These are just a few of the infrastructure flaws safety advocates like her want to see tackled, others include taller medians and concrete slabs to protect pedestrians on bus stops.
Heston said it's possible with the adoption of the Vision Zero plan.
"So that we can ensure each Louisvillian leaves in the morning, goes to all of their points throughout the day and gets home safely to their family,” she said.
Metro Councilmember Nicole George wants to see Vision Zero adopted in Louisville; she plans to present the ordinance to a council committee Thursday.
"It looks at everything from the built environment, from policies to data to then really drive decisions about where to make improvements in our city,” George said.
In a hearing earlier this month, George said Metro Public Works pinpointed ten locations with the worst combined crash and crime data - Bardstown Road and Goldsmith Lane ranked number one.
According to Vision Zero Louisville crash data, there have been nearly 5,000 crashes on city roadways since 2014, more than 900 fatal.
That's 931 lives that were impacted, plus their families,” George said.
Those numbers don't include state roads, where George said numbers are very high.
Chris Glasser, director of Streets for People, a Louisville organization aimed at creating safer streets for pedestrians, said the state will have to step in.
“Some of our most dangerous streets are state routes, so this isn't just a metro priority, this is a state priority,” Glasser said.
Louisville's Vision Zero plan would span 20 years with the goal of zero traffic fatalities by 2050, according to George’s ordinance proposal.
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