Case Study: Madison, Wisconsin



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Vision Zero Adoption

2020

Vision Zero Target

2035

Population

269,000

View of street looking towards the State Capitol building in Madison Wisconsin

Community Description

  • Madison is the capital city of Wisconsin, located in the south-central part of the state.
  • Madison has the highest number of parks and playgrounds per capita among the top 100 U.S. cities and is distinguished by its extensive network of bike trails.

Challenges

  • Increase in fatalities due to the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly in low-income communities; disparities in traffic enforcement citations.

Safe System Focus

  • Safe Speeds
  • Safe Streets
  • Safe People

  • Safety Data
  • Safety Focused Enforcement

Safe Street and Roads for All (SS4A) Implementation Grants

In the Vision Zero Action Plan, the City has a comprehensive list of Vision Zero projects and grants that will be used to fund each project.

  • Forward to Vision Zero – Madison

Awarded in 2022

  • Forward to Vision Zero – Madison, Safe System for
    Vulnerable Roadway Users

Awarded in 2023

Lessons Learned

  • Strong leadership from elected officials was critical for the implementation of the Safe System approach.
  • The City committed to Vision Zero in 2020 and has a multi-disciplinary, multi-department Vision Zero Steering Team, which includes 10 City Departments, and 45 additional supporting stakeholders.
  • The Vision Zero Steering Team ensures that stakeholders understand their role, do not get overwhelmed, and recommit to safety each day.

A group of people standing in front of a podium during a public event to raise awareness about road safety and the lives lost due to crashes. Above the podium, a rope is strung across the space and miltiple pair of shoes are tied to the string, hanging down in a row.

  • With strong engagement and a data-driven/equity-centered outreach, the community continues to embrace the Safe System approach and agrees that increasing safety is most important, even if travel is slightly slower or less convenient.

A blue and white flyer with QR codes and with text inviting people to a virtual public meeting event to hear updates from the Vision Zero Initiative.

A purple and white flyer with QR codes inviting people to share their travel experiences by participating on a survey.

  • Getting buy-ins from staff at all levels is important for the sustained success of Vision Zero. With collaborative leadership, the City is institutionalizing the Vision Zero philosophy and the Safe System approach in the design and operations of transportation infrastructures.
  • In the future, the City would like to expand its cooperation with other stakeholders for more comprehensive safety data collection and analysis. Further, the City will strengthen partnerships with the industry to benefit from technology innovation, such as proactive safety assessment through video analytics to identify locations for potential improvements.

A social media post with two images below shown side by side. The image on the left shows a person forming a heart shape with her hands, holding them up in front of her body. The text in the image says" You are Loved, Arrived Alive". The image on the right shows an assortment of heart shaped candy pieces scattered on a surface. Each candy heart features a short printed message in contrasting text, such as " You are Loved", "Be Safe", "Drive Safely".

A bus with a advertisement on the side with a text that reads: "Speed kills, your choice matters"


Additional Resources

External Videos