WHEREAS, according to data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, each year approximately 40,000 people are killed in traffic collisions in the United States from accidents that are largely preventable; and

WHEREAS, from 2012 to 2021, two people died, two suffered severe injuries, and 22 experienced minor injuries while walking or biking on streets in Hillsborough; and

WHEREAS, one death or serious injury on town streets is one too many; and

WHEREAS, seniors, children, people of color, people with disabilities, people in low-income communities, and vulnerable road users such as pedestrians and bicyclists face a disproportionate risk of traffic injuries and fatalities; and

WHEREAS, town leadership is dedicated to eliminating deaths and serious injuries on streets in Hillsborough; and

WHEREAS, town leadership, staff, and appointed boards conduct public outreach and engagement to develop and recommend transportation and connectivity plans and projects that incorporate safety measures and best practices; and

WHEREAS, town staff engage in safety trainings, participate in safety initiatives, conduct safety programs, and respond to safety concerns from the community; and

WHEREAS, the Hillsborough Comprehensive Sustainability Plan incorporates goals, strategies, and actions to advance safety for all modes of transportation; and

WHEREAS, Vision Zero is a public health-based traffic-safety strategy to reduce and eventually eliminate traffic deaths and serious injuries using a data-driven, multi-disciplinary and safe systems approach that also increases safe, healthy equitable mobility for all; and

WHEREAS, making streets safer for all people using all modes of transportation will encourage people to travel on foot, by bicycle, and by public transit, which supports a healthier, more active lifestyle and reduces environmental pollution; and

WHEREAS, Vision Zero is a tool to unite stakeholders such as government entities, police and emergency personnel, public health and planning professionals, transportation and transit officials, developers, and community members in a coordinated approach to achieving safe streets for all; and

WHEREAS, the Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Metropolitan Planning Organization, of which the town is a member, is developing a Vision Zero Action Plan using funding from the Safe Streets for All Grant program; and

WHEREAS, Vision Zero resolutions have been adopted by numerous jurisdictions in North Carolina and across the United States;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED; by the Hillsborough Board of Commissioners, that the Town of Hillsborough pledges its intention of eliminating traffic deaths and serious injuries by 2040 and adopts this Vision Zero policy as a guiding principle for planning and implementing transportation projects, safety initiatives, maintenance of public rights-of-way, and traffic enforcement practices to achieve this goal; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the safety of all road users shall take priority over vehicular level of service and safety of vulnerable road users shall be given top priority in transportation decisions; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Hillsborough Strategic Plan shall incorporate Vision Zero initiatives so that progress toward meeting the pledge can be measured, tracked, and reported. Approved this 13th day of November of the year 2023.

Jenn Weaver, Mayor