By Alexa Epitropoulos | aepitropoulos@alextimes.com

City council formally adopted a Vision Zero action plan at its public hearing on Saturday, which has the goal of eliminating traffic deaths and serious injuries by 2028.

The adoption of the Vision Zero action plan follows city council adopting the international traffic safety concept in January of this year.

The action plan was formed through a drafting and feedback gathering process that ultimately involved more than 1,000 residents, visitors, business owners and employees, according to a city news release.

The adopted plan includes points of focus for Vision Zero’s first two years in action in Alexandria. Some of the biggest focuses are the creation of a public crash and safety data dashboard that can be used to track the plan’s progress, an accelerated timeline for “Safe Route to School” engineering recommendations and increased traffic safety enforcement on city roadways with higher speeds. 

The plan also outlines engineering improvements the city will undergo in the first year of the action plan being in effect, including new signals for pedestrians, new road markings, signs, curb ramps and speed limit changes. 

Alexandria is the first Vision Zero community in Northern Virginia, according to a city news release.

“The adoption of the Vision Zero Action Plan affirms the city’s commitment to making our streets safer and moves Alexandria one step closer to zero traffic deaths and serious injuries,” Mayor Allison Silberberg said in the release. “Public safety is a top priority in our city.”