The DC Council is expected to take its first vote on a Vision Zero Omnibus bill Tuesday

On Tuesday, the DC Council will take its first vote on the Vision Zero Omnibus bill, which passed unanimously out of its committee hearing on July 10. This legislation is part of the District’s larger goal to end traffic deaths by 2024.

Members of the Committee on Transportation and the Environment all supported the bill, which was co-introduced by Councilmembers Charles Allen (Ward 6), Anita Bonds (At-large), Robert White (At-large), Kenyan McDuffie (Ward 5), Brianne Nadeau (Ward 1), David Grosso (At-large), Elissa Silverman (At-large), and Brandon Todd (Ward 4).

The Vision Zero omnibus bill will, among other things:

• Require the Mayor to install sidewalks on both sides of a street, to connect new sidewalks to existing sidewalks and to mark unmarked crosswalks
• Provide that the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) not issue public space permits for certain projects unless the plans include installing new sidewalks, bicycle lanes or cycle tracks, or marked crosswalks and the applicant has met the requirements of previous permits and returned crosswalks and bicycle lanes to their pre-construction condition
• Require that DDOT make certain information publicly available and easily searchable, and issue reports on how projects or recommendations increase transportation safety and provide equitable access to safety goals
• Require 10 days’ notice regarding statements about regulating vehicular or pedestrian traffic, if the proposed installation, modification, or removal of the statement will increase safety at a location identified as a high-risk intersection in the Multimodal Long-Range Transportation Plan
• Require Council approval and regular updating of the Multimodal Long-Range Transportation Plan (better known as moveDC)

It is likely that there will be amendments to the bill. Ward 1 Councilmember Brianne Nadeau has already circulated a draft amendment to be voted on tomorrow, which would create “an equivalent requirement for transit facilities, including painted bus-only lanes, dedicated transitways, and transit malls or multimodal priority streets, requiring they be built on streets where they are planned for when said street is undergoing reconstruction, unless DDOT provides legitimate justification,” to match the requirement that planned bike lanes be installed during street-reconstruction projects.

GGWash has supported the Vision Zero omnibus since it was initially introduced in May 2019. Alongside many District residents, our staff testified in favor of the legislation at its hearing in October 2019. And, whether a candidate supports the Vision Zero omnibus is one of the factors in our endorsements.

Of course, the Vision Zero omnibus bill isn’t perfect, and it’s not a panacea—that’s true of all legislation. But, right now, there’s no comprehensive set of rules on the books that would actually begin to make real the mayor’s long-stated, though hardly operationalized, commitment to zero traffic deaths in the District of Columbia. (Plus, it’s easier to amend something that already exists than craft it out of whole cloth; if something in the bill turns out to be a problem, it’s easier to modify it once its effects are obvious.)

While one could read Vision Zero efforts as, on their face, only for people who walk, bike, or use personal mobility devices, that would be a mistake. Drivers also suffer the ill effects of dangerous and poorly designed streets, and transit riders often access their bus and train trips on foot.

Requiring compliance with moveDC, a plan that the District spent considerable time and effort on crafting, is good governance; requiring that bike lanes, crosswalks, and sidewalks be effectively connected is good planning.

There is likely to be enough support for the Vision Zero omnibus to pass the full council tomorrow. But you can still write a personal note to your councilmember right now to say what you’d like to see them do. (We’re not setting up an action alert because personal emails are much more effective, even if they’re just a sentence or two).

If there’s something you feel strongly about being added or removed—such as a rear-light requirement for bicycles, which could trigger unnecessary police enforcement—feel free to add that. And, if you don’t mind, please cc us at action@ggwash.org so that we can keep you posted on future opportunities to remind your elected officials that you support safe streets for everyone who’s using them.