Des Moines officials developing Vision Zero plan to cut traffic deaths

Philip Joens
Des Moines Register

A consultant solicited ideas from Des Moines City Councilmembers Monday morning for a plan that aims to reduce traffic fatalities.

Sarah Abel, of Maryland-based traffic safety consultant Toole Design, has been hired to create a Vision Zero plan for Des Moines, which could overhaul the city's roads system to improve safety for pedestrians, cyclists and motorists, she said. Much of the work the council wants Abel to focus on will be to reduce speeding, which Ward 2 Councilmember Linda Westergaard  and At-Large Councilmember Carl Voss said is the issue they get the most complaints about from residents. 

"We’ve got to figure out a way that we can get a handle on all speeders in our city," Westergaard said.  

What is Vision Zero? 

Vision Zero is a type of traffic plan, first adopted in Sweden in 1997, that  aims to reduce traffic and serious injury crashes to zero. Since then cities large and small across the world have created Vision Zero plans. 

Boulder, Colorado; Hoboken, New Jersey; and Carmel, Indiana are three U.S. cities similar to Des Moines which created Vision Zero plans, Abel told the council.  

Traffic fatalities in Des Moines rose from 15 in 2019 to 23 in 2020 and 24 in 2021, according to the Des Moines Police Department. Eight people have been killed in traffic crashes in the city so far this year.

Between 2016 and 2020 an average of 105 people were killed or seriously injured each year in traffic crashes in Des Moines, according to a PowerPoint prepared by city staff members last year. 

When the council agreed to spend more than $223,000 on a Vision Zero traffic study in March the city had a goal of having no traffic fatalities by 2040, according to a memo sent to councilmembers. 

A consultant solicited ideas from Des Moines City Councilmembers Monday morning for a plan that aims to reduce traffic fatalities.

But Abel said that it is best to not set aggressive target dates, because those plans often fail. In Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti signed that city's Vision Zero plan into law in 2015 with a goal of ending traffic fatalities by 2025. Traffic fatalities in Los Angeles rose about 20% in 2021 and 30% in 2020, according to the Los Angeles Times. 

On Monday most councilmembers did not want to set a firm date to hit goals, but thought it would be good to have benchmarks to work toward. Ward 4 Councilmember Joe Gatto wants to see changes to make roads safer, but said smartphones that distract drivers will make it hard to eliminate traffic fatalities completely.

"Until that’s no longer around, which I don’t see that happening, it’s going to be tough to get to zero deaths," Gatto said. 

From 2021:'The power is in your hands': Spiking traffic fatalities on Iowa's roads has officials begging Iowans to buckle up, slow down

Ward 3 Councilmember Josh Mandelbaum  said the city often outlines things it wants to accomplish but fails to back those up by budgeting appropriate money. 

"This is ultimately going to be a budget discussion," Mandelbaum said. "We can have Vision Zero, but if Vision Zero isn’t reflected in the decisions we make from a budgetary perspective we’re never going to get there."

Because Abel was in town from Maryland, she and Des Moines-based consultant Christopher Shires planned to hold an informal meeting at the Central Library between 1:30 and 3 p.m.  Monday to hear concerns from residents about transportation issues. 

Listening sessions will be held in September in each of the city's four wards, and will also be analyzed to help the city set its goals, according to the plan's website. 

From 2021:Iowa won't meet goal of less than 300 traffic deaths in 2021

Speeding is the biggest traffic issue, councilmembers say

Since the COVID-19 pandemic started more than two years ago state, county and local law enforcement agencies have seen drivers speed excessively on highways and local roads. 

The trend started when roads cleared as people stayed home during the pandemic, but continues to this day as traffic has rebounded to normal levels. Excessive speed was a factor in 42% of fatal crashes in Des Moines and impairment was a factor in 31% of fatal crashes between 2019 and 2021, according to the Des Moines Police Department. 

City planners and engineers have said that people drive at dangerous speeds through neighborhoods, and that they want to find ways to stop that behavior. 

More:Iowa State Patrol blames reckless and distracted driving for 2021's increase in fatal crashes

Des Moines has a street racing culture, Mandelbaum and Westergaard said. Mandelbaum represents downtown and said, "there is a lot of scooping the loop." But the problem also exists elsewhere, according to him and Westergaard. 

The Des Moines Police Department uses traffic cameras to curb speeding, but issues tickets only when a person travels 11 mph or more over the speed limit. Voss suggested finding a way to give out tickets if a person travels six miles per hour over the speed limit. 

Gatto cautioned against expanding the use of speed cameras so the Iowa State Legislature does not prevent the city from using speed cameras in the manner it currently does. 

“I know it’s very frustrating, probably, for all of us, but I don’t even think that’s an option,” Gatto said. 

More:Scooping the loop returns to downtown Des Moines — along with noise and speed complaints

Protecting pedestrians

Ideas implemented from the plan, whether it be about reducing speeds or changing road designs, should be about reducing deaths in a proactive way, Abel said. Most of the focus should be on deaths for the most vulnerable road users, which are generally pedestrians and cyclists, she said. 

Between 2019 and 2020 the number of pedestrians seriously injured increased from 7 to 13, according to the 2021 PowerPoint. 

"Humans do make mistakes, but those mistakes should not result in a fatal crash," Abel said. "Our roads should be designed so that if someone veers off a road they’re not going to hit a pedestrian or cyclist."

Des Moines East freshman Ema Cardenas was struck and killed by a vehicle April 28 as she crossed East University Avenue on her way home after school. Traffic lights near the intersection warning of pedestrians were not functioning properly at the time, Westergaard said. 

Ema Cardenas, 14, was killed in a hit-and-run accident on April 28, 2022 in Des Moines. She is remembered as gentle, kind, forgiving, and "simply loved."

Some children in Westergaard's ward have to cross state highways to get to school, she said. Bridges or tunnels could be built above or below those roads to allow kids to get to school easier, Abel said. 

"Sometimes you have to make those major investments to make the safest decision," Abel said. 

More:Mom advocates for safer streets after daughter's hit-and-run death near East High

Roundabouts and other traffic control measures could be implemented to reduce speeds and make roads safer, Abel said. Carmel, Indiana, which has a population of about 100,000 residents, installed more than 120 roundabouts since 1996; they've been key to reducing traffic fatalities and improving road safety there, according to trade magazine Smart Cities Drive. 

“If you have one roundabout people may be confused on how to operate within that roundabout," Abel said. "But if you have 10, the behavior changes."

Mandelbaum used Grand Avenue west of downtown as an example of a road that could see changes. It is a four-lane road a block away from a major retail area on Ingersoll Avenue, and it connects a residential area to a retail area, Mandelbaum said. 

"The connectivity between the two is an issue," Mandelbaum said. "The ability for folks to feel safe crossing comes up with some regularity."

Southwest 9th Street near downtown is another area that could be made safer, he said. Des Moines is finishing renovations to MacRae Park started in 2014, but residents said they feel like they cannot walk safely there, he said. 

"We can’t get there because the corridor that’s a separation between the two feels like a barrier," Mandelbaum said. "You go just a little bit south and you’re at Lincoln High School and Park (Avenue) Elementary. All of the issues that we’re talking about from speed to the ability to have safe crossings are present in that area."

Philip Joens covers public safety, city government and RAGBRAI for the Des Moines Register. He can be reached at 515-443-3347 at pjoens@registermedia.com or on Twitter @Philip_Joens.