Bellevue's Vision Zero initiative aims to eliminate traffic deaths and serious-injury collisions on city streets by 2030. To achieve this goal, the Bellevue City Council adopted the Safe System approach. This holistic-based approach to road safety bundles strategies focused on safe people, safe streets, safe speeds and safe vehicles—as well as the supporting elements of leadership, culture, partnerships and data.
Following council’s adoption of the Safe System approach, staff developed, and the City Manager approved the Vision Zero Strategic Plan that articulates a coordinated approach across city departments, ensuring that transportation engineers, first responders and other key staff work together. To keep Bellevue’s program on track and to monitor progress, a cross-departmental team of city staff develops annual action plans that are approved by the city’s Vision Zero Steering Team, and continually monitors progress towards these action plan items and the Vision Zero goal.
The Vision Zero flyer provides an overview of the initiative, current actions and how to learn more about road safety in Bellevue. It is also available in 简体中文, 繁體中文, 日本語, 한국어, español, Pусский and Tiếng Việt. If you would like printed copies of the flyer for an event, please contact Franz Loewenherz (floewenherz@bellevuewa.gov).
Progress reporting
The city is committed to tracking progress toward its Vision Zero goals related to all eight elements of the Safe System approach. For example, Bellevue has developed a collision dashboard that allows for interactive searching of fatal and serious injury collisions on Bellevue streets over a 10-year period. For information about progress on other efforts, visit the Progress Reporting page.
Vision Zero Collision Dashboard
High injury network
Most of Bellevue’s fatal and serious-injury collisions occur on a relatively small number of city streets, known as the High Injury Network (HIN). Following a comprehensive review of citywide collision data from 2010 to 2019, the City of Bellevue identified a HIN in its Vision Zero Strategic Plan. The city has since developed an updated HIN to better guide ongoing safety improvements and Vision Zero implementation.
The updated HIN also identifies High Injury Intersections (HII), pinpointing locations with the highest concentrations of severe collisions. Analysis shows that 68% of all fatal and serious injury (FSI) collisions occur on just 8% of the public street network, while 43% of FSI intersection collisions occur at 25% of arterial intersections. The city targets these streets and intersections with a variety of road safety initiatives, including road safety assessments (RSAs) to identify potential safety improvements, especially for vulnerable road users like people walking and rolling.
Vision zero milestones
- In December 2015, the City Council passed a resolution providing a framework to pursue Vision Zero.
- In December 2016, the City Council passed an ordinance adopting Vision Zero amendments into the city's Comprehensive Plan.
- In June 2020, the City Council passed a resolution approving the Safe System approach and strategies to move Bellevue towards Vision Zero.
- In December 2020, the Vision Zero Steering Team sent the Vision Zero Strategic Plan to the City Manager for approval.
- In December 2020, the City Council approved a Vision Zero program for funding in the 2021-2027 capital budget.
- In December 2022, as part of the biennial budget process, the Vision Zero Rapid Build Data Driven Safety Program had its funding extended through 2029.
