Towards Zero Road Safety Initiative: A Safer Future for Everyone
Alex Karki
BEng (Hons) MEng(Res) UNSW, MAITPM, MIEA
Principal Traffic & Parking Engineer
SYDNEY TRAFFIC ENGINEERS
W: www.trafficengineers.sydney
Towards Zero Road Safety is a global initiative with an ambitious goal: to eliminate deaths and serious injuries on our roads. It recognises that while people will always make mistakes, road systems can be designed to ensure those mistakes don’t result in tragedy.
At its core, Towards Zero is about creating a road network that protects lives and prioritises safety above all else. The initiative moves away from the idea that road crashes are inevitable and instead emphasises that every collision, injury, and death is preventable.
Figure: 17 November is World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims.
Towards Zero is a Journey, Not Just a Target
While reaching zero road deaths may seem like a lofty goal, every life saved and injury prevented is a step closer to that vision. It’s not just about numbers; it’s about creating a safer, more compassionate community where everyone can travel without fear.
We can ensure everyone gets home safely by working together—governments, councils, businesses, and individuals. That’s the promise of Towards Zero.
NSW’s Road Safety Plan 2026 (https://www.towardszero.nsw.gov.au/) has already contributed to reducing road fatalities and serious injuries across the state.
Towards Zero Road Safety: International Success Stories
The Towards Zero Road Safety Initiative has been successfully implemented worldwide in various cities and countries. These examples demonstrate how the initiative’s principles—Safe Roads, Safe Speeds, Safe Vehicles, and Safe People—have been applied to significantly reduce road fatalities and serious injuries.
International Examples of Success
- Sweden: The Birthplace of Vision Zero
Implementation: Sweden pioneered the Vision Zero approach in 1997, which laid the foundation for the Towards Zero initiative worldwide.
Key Measures:
- Introduction of 2+1 roads with flexible median barriers to reduce head-on collisions.
- Lowered speed limits in urban areas and near schools.
- Infrastructure designed to protect vulnerable road users, such as segregated pedestrian and cyclist paths.
Impact:
- Sweden has reduced road fatalities by nearly 50% since Vision Zero’s launch.
- It now has one of the lowest traffic death rates globally, with 2.7 deaths per 100,000 people compared to the global average of 18.
- Compared to Sweden, NSW is higher, at 4.21 per 100,000 people in 2023, which is higher than the 2022 rate of 3.58 per 100,000 people.
2. Netherlands: Sustainable Safety Program
Implementation: The Netherlands’ road safety strategy focuses on designing roads and environments that prevent crashes and minimise their severity.
Key Measures:
- Road Diets: Reducing road lanes in urban areas to discourage speeding and provide space for cyclists and pedestrians.
- Extensive use of roundabouts to lower crash severity compared to traditional intersections.
- 30 km/h zones in residential neighbourhoods to protect pedestrians and cyclists.
Impact:
- Traffic fatalities have decreased by more than 60% since the 1970s.
- Cities like Amsterdam and Rotterdam are global leaders in pedestrian and cyclist safety.
3. Oslo, Norway
Implementation: In 2015, Oslo adopted Vision Zero to reduce pedestrian and cyclist deaths.
Key Measures:
- Banning private cars from the city centre.
- Expanding pedestrian-only zones and bike-friendly infrastructure.
- Strictly enforce speed limits and lower speed thresholds in residential and urban areas.
Impact:
- By 2019, zero pedestrian or cyclist deaths were recorded in Oslo.
Overall, road fatalities dropped to just one person in the same year.
4. New York City, USA
Implementation: New York City adopted Vision Zero in 2014 to address its historically high road fatality rates.
Key Measures:
- Installation of speed cameras in school zones.
- Creation of over 50 miles of protected bike lanes annually.
- Street redesigns to prioritise pedestrians, such as adding pedestrian islands and narrowing vehicle lanes.
Impact:
- Traffic fatalities decreased by 28% within the program’s first four years.
- Pedestrian deaths fell to record lows in 2018.
- London, United Kingdom
- Implementation: London launched its Vision Zero action plan in 2018, targeting zero deaths and serious injuries by 2041.
Key Measures:
- Adoption of low-emission zones and expansion of congestion charges to reduce car use.
- Introduction of safer junction designs for cyclists and pedestrians.
- Lowering speed limits to 20 mph in most central areas.
Impact:
- By 2021, road deaths in London had fallen by 50% compared to the mid-2000s.
- Cycling in London increased by 154% between 2000 and 2020, with fewer cyclist fatalities.
