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How the cities of Oslo and Helsinki cut pedestrian deaths to zero

Several major cities in the USA, such as New York, are laudably working towards the same immensely important target, known as ‘Vision Zero’.

A three-section pedestrian crossing in Oslo, Norway.
This 3-stage pedestrian crossing in Oslo goes over four lanes of traffic and tram lines, plus a bus lane, and has two safety islands to break it all up into manageable sections. (Copyright image, 2019. All rights reserved.)

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Major ‘Vision Zero’ Success in Oslo

According to the Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten (translation here), in 1975, 41 people died in traffic crashes in Oslo, but in 2019 only one person, a car driver, suffered that fate.  And the number of pedestrians and cyclists killed in the city in 2019? …… Zero!

The sign for a 30kmh (19mph) speed limit in Oslo, Norway.
A large proportion of Oslo’s city streets are limited to 30kmh (19mph), main rural roads are 60kmh (37mph) and between cities, most of the divided highways have a limit of just 90kmh (56mph), although a few are 110kmh (69mph).  So much for the facile argument that lowered speed limits don’t help save lives!   (Copyright image, 2019. All rights reserved.)

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Better US Road Safety Culture may be as Important as Vision Zero

Just yesterday, we posted excerpts and our comments regarding the Road Safety Annual Report 2019, and America’s poor performance by comparison with the vast majority of other developed nations.

This is what?  “My pick-up is bigger than your car, so I’m coming across!”?  (Copyright image, 2017.)

It has long been known that one of the key features in highway safety is the overall attitude of the people in the region or country concerned — the ‘road safety culture’.
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