The Town of Apex has a history of active participation in road safety initiatives, making the adoption and implementation of Vision Zero Apex a natural next step. The Apex Town Council adopted a Vision Zero Resolution in 2020 and a Vision Zero Plan in 2022. To access the plan and learn more about Vision Zero Apex efforts, please click the button below:

The Town of Boiling Springs joined North Carolina Vision Zero in 2023. They have taken multiple concrete steps to establish their VZ program including successfully establishing a VZ Coalition, hiring a Town Planner to advance the VZ program, and implementing their Safe Streets for All grant. The Town was among the first municipalities nationwide to secure a Safe Streets for All grant to advance their Vision Zero initiative. Boiling Springs has completed an update to their future land use plan and park master plan which aims to look at the future of Boiling Springs over the next five to 10 years, including transportation, pedestrian travel, and road safety. For more information about Vision Zero efforts in Boiling Springs, please contact Zachary Parker (zachary.parker@boilingspringsnc.net)

Brevard is a trailblazing community in North Carolina taking on a commitment to Vision Zero. Leaders in Brevard believe that Vision Zero brings essential vehicular safety best practices support the community’s goal of improving the health and wellbeing of all our residents. They are in the process of developing Brevard’s Vision Zero plan and have successfully established a VZ Coalition. Brevard hopes to learn from other communities about effective strategies for implementing Vision Zero locally. For more information about Vision Zero efforts in Brevard, please contact Aaron Bland, Assistant Planning Director, City of Brevard, NC, aaron.bland@cityofbrevard.com.

The Burlington-Graham Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) is the first MPO in the state to adopt a regional Vision Zero safety plan. They have dedicated staff to advance the MPO’s Safety Strategy plan and completed a needs assessment to identify areas of growth for their VZ program. Recognizing that traffic deaths and severe injuries are unacceptable and preventable, the BGMPO Technical Coordinating Committee and Transportation Advisory Committee continues the goal of implementing a data-driven, safe systems approach to reversing the region’s rising crash trends. The study was fully funded with a NCDOT Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) grant. The BGMPO was awarded a 2023 Planning and Demonstration Grant through the Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) to install CCTV cameras along High Injury Network signal locations in the City of Burlington. Project implementation and performance evaluation will begin the 2nd quarter of 2025. For more information about Vision Zero efforts in Burlington-Graham visit the project website bgmpotransportationsafetyplan.com or contact Eliud DeJesus at edejesus@burlingtonnc.gov.

The town of Carrboro has a long history of investment in creating a safe community for people walking and bicycling. As a part of the Carrboro Connects Comprehensive Plan, adopted in 2022, the town included a commitment to developing a Vision Zero policy as a part of its overall Complete Streets policy. In 2023, the town deployed a series of roadway changes to enhance pedestrian and bicyclist safety. Following participation in the NC Vision Zero Leadership Training Institute, town staff are continuing to meet with Vision Zero communities across the state to explore ways to integrate Vision Zero principles into future planning, including conducting a VZ needs assessment. For more information about Vision Zero efforts in Carrboro, please contact Tina Moon at cmoon@carrboronc.gov.

Chapel Hill Town Council unanimously adopted a Vision Zero Resolution on October 13, 2021. Chapel Hill town staff, resident advocates, and agency partners have a history of working on street safety initiatives, including producing a Pedestrian Safety Action Plan in 2019. The adoption of a Vision Zero Resolution was the next step in keeping Chapel Hill safe for everyone, no matter how they travel. Chapel Hill’s Vision Zero resolution commits to eliminating traffic fatalities and serious injuries by 2031, while prioritizing vulnerable road users with a focus on equity and engagement. In recent years, Chapel Hill has been expanding their No Right on Red program and traffic calming efforts to further support road safety. For more information about Vision Zero in Chapel Hill, please visit the Chapel Hill Vision Zero Website, or contact Kurt Stolka at kstolka@townofchapelhill.org or Bergen Watterson at bwatterson@townofchapelhill.org.

Following a 35% jump in traffic fatalities between 2016-2017, the City of Charlotte set a goal of reaching zero deaths by 2030 in their 2019 Vision Zero Action Plan and Charlotte’s efforts have gained national recognition. Charlotte has an active Vision Zero task force that meets quarterly to assess ongoing progress and improve areas such as community engagement and crash data tracking. To learn more about Charlotte’s Vision Zero efforts, please visit their website.

In 2023, the Village of Clemmons joined NCVZ as a community partner, adopting a Vision Zero resolution and forming a Vision Zero Task Force. The Village has secured FY2022 and FY2023 Safe Streets for All grants to advance its Vision Zero initiative. Clemmons is making significant progress in developing its Safe Streets for All Action Plan. It has selected a consulting team and launched a public outreach campaign, with its first event on September 28th at the last Farmer's Market of the year. Village staff, alongside consulting team members, distributed QR codes for a Transportation and Transportation Safety survey and answered questions about the plans. Additionally, the Village received a contract from the Federal Highway Administration for its FY2023 supplement planning grant, which will fund an ADA Transition Plan to support the Safety Action Plan. A consulting team has been selected, and the project is underway. The Village is also awaiting an update on its FY2024 grant application for traffic calming demonstration projects supporting the Safety Action Plan. For more information on Clemmons' Vision Zero efforts, contact Doug Moore at dmoore@clemmons.org.

The Town of Davidson passed a Vision Zero resolution in 2021 as a result of the leadership of their Pedestrian Safety Task Force and pressure from members of the town following the tragic deaths of three local residents. Building on this momentum, they adopted a Vision Zero plan in 2023. Davidson continues to work on implementing proven safety measures outlined in its plan, including the installation of RRFBs, HAWK signals, and LPIs. For information about Town initiatives as the community moves forward with its Vision Zero Initiative, contact Andrew Golden at agolden@townofdavidson.org.

In September 2017, Durham joined a global network of Vision Zero cities and became one of the first cities in North Carolina to officially adopt Vision Zero. This is because, on average, 26 people die in crashes in Durham County each year. The Vision Zero Resolution approved in 2017 by the Durham City Council affirmed the City’s commitment to eliminating traffic deaths and serious injuries. Since that time, the City of Durham and its partners have worked to implement projects and programs aligned with Vision Zero, such as traffic calming guidelines, improved transit infrastructure, sidewalks, and bicycle facilities. Despite these efforts, the number of people dying and being seriously injured in crashes has not decreased. At the start of 2024, Durham’s Vision Zero commitment was reinvigorated by the hiring of a Vision Zero Coordinator, an updated Vision Zero resolution that sets a target date to reduce and end traffic deaths and serious injuries, and a goal to develop an action plan by the first quarter of 2025. With a strategy in development, Durham looks to apply for federal funding that will help implement proven safety countermeasures to reduce and end traffic deaths and serious injuries.

Similar to other municipalities in NC, Greensboro continues to experience record highs in road fatalities. The City has been working towards a safe systems approach since 2017 to address traffic related fatal and serious injury crashes. A major step towards this effort included City Council adopting the Greensboro Vision Zero Action Plan in 2019. Staff, along with both public and private stakeholders, are working to carry out the strategies outlined in the plan as well as continuing creative public engagement strategies. In partnership with the Greensboro Urban Area MPO, the City Greensboro secured three SS4A grants. Two of the awards will support identification of countermeasures through demonstration projects or pilots to be included in a regional Comprehensive Safety Action Plan (CSAP). The CSAP is also being developed through a SS4A award. In addition to their partnership in the North Carolina Vision Zero initiative, Greensboro also participated in the FHWA Vision Zero Community Pairing Program to share information and best practices, assess strategies and actions, and forge beneficial learning relationships among Vision Zero peers in New York and California. To learn more about Greensboro’s Vision Zero efforts, please visit their website using the link below:

After years of leading the state in traffic fatalities, Greenville Police Chief Holtzman decided Greenville should no longer hold that dishonor. In partnership with the Eastern Carolina Injury Prevention Program at Vidant Health, Chief Holtzman convened other local officials, who were also committed to eliminating road deaths, to form the Greenville Traffic Safety Task Force (TSTF) in 2018. Using local crash data and evidence-based safety interventions, Greenville has already seen success and is continually looking for ways to improve safety. Greenville is now a leader in Vision Zero, not only in North Carolina, but nationally. Greenville’s TSTF has earned two national and two state achievement awards for their improvements to roadway safety and strong community partnerships. For more information about Vision Zero Greenville, please contact Ellen Walston atewalston@ecuhealth.org.

Safety is the foundation of a great community. Knightdale is committed to ensuring that safety is our foremost priority now and for future generations. The Knightdale Town Council made Safety one of its priorities within the Town Strategic Plan. As part of that plan, Town leaders have acted by attending the NC Vision Zero Leadership Institute and incorporating Vision Zero principles, such as effective safety measures and a systemic approach, to the town’s first Comprehensive Transportation Plan (CTP). The CTP was approved in November 2022 along with a formal Vision Zero resolution. Building on this momentum, Knightdale is in the process of developing a Vision Zero safety action plan. For more information about Vision Zero efforts in Knightdale, please contact Dustin Tripp at dustin.tripp@knightdalenc.gov or Andrew Spiliotis at andrew.spiliotis@knightdalenc.gov.

The Town of Leland joined North Carolina Vision Zero in 2023. Situated in Brunswick County, one of the fastest-growing counties in the state, Leland recognizes the importance of prioritizing safety, walkability, and connectivity as its community expands. Actively participating in the 2023 North Carolina Vision Zero Leadership Institute, Leland not only demonstrated its commitment to Vision Zero but also secured a coveted Safe Streets for All grant to propel its Vision Zero initiative forward. The Town of Leland is currently developing a Comprehensive Safety Action Plan to be adopted in early 2025. We envision a future where everyone can walk, bike, roll, and drive in Leland without transportation related fatalities or injuries. For information about Leland’s Vision Zero efforts, please contact Jessica Moberly at jmoberly@townofleland.com.

On August 26, 2024, the Town of Matthews adopted a Vision Zero resolution directing the Town Manager to form an interdepartmental and cross-organizational working group to develop a Vision Zero Action Plan. The Vision Zero Plan is scheduled for adoption in Spring 2025.

Mooresville town planner, Erika Martin tracks local deaths that occur on local roads in a unique way - she prints a picture of each victim to hang on her office wall so she doesn’t forget the importance of creating a safe community for the people she serves. Because of her advocacy and that of others, including Cami Weckerly in the engineering department, as well as local residents, the town of Mooresville passed a Vision Zero resolution in 2021. In 2023, the town adopted a Vision Zero plan and established a multisector Vision Zero task force. If you would like to be involved in Vision Zero Mooresville efforts, please contact Cami Weckerly at cweckerly@mooresvillenc.gov.

In 2019, the City of Raleigh began transitioning the Transportation Safety Program to a Vision Zero Program. In late 2021, the City of Raleigh completed a report highlighting Promising Safety Practices and Safety Planning Approaches. This included a review of best practices on successful Vision Zero Programs from peer cities. In Summer 2022, the Vision Zero Program was officially adopted within the Traffic Engineering Department. City of Raleigh is actively developing and implementing Spot Safety, Spot Mobility, and General Safety Improvements project across the City with partners at NCDOT. Raleigh’s SS4A Comprehensive Safety Action Plan grant agreement was adopted by City Council in 2023 and was awarded to WSP in early 2024. This project started in July 2024 and will take 18-24 months to complete. Since the formation of our VZ program in 2022, the city while working with our partners at NCDOT has successfully obtained over $10 million in funding for pedestrian and traffic safety improvements at 33 locations throughout the city. If you would like to be involved in Vision Zero Raleigh efforts, please contact Raleigh’s Vision Zero Program Manager, Sean Driskill P.E. at Sean.Driskill@Raleighnc.gov.

The Robeson County Vision Zero task force is North Carolina’s first countywide Vision Zero coalition. It’s made up of a variety of community stakeholders, including locally elected officials, the hospital administration, first-responders, UNC-Pembroke and law enforcement who want to improve the driving habits of their community. Grady Hunt is the task force chairman. He is a Pembroke attorney and a member of the N.C. Board of Transportation. He can be reached at gradyh@huntbrookslaw.com. You can find Robeson County’s Vision Zero website by clicking the link below:

The Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Metropolitan Planning Organization (DCHC MPO) is developing a regional Safe Streets for All Action Plan to improve transit, pedestrian/bicyclist and highway safety in DCHC MPO planning area. The MPO is working closely with its member jurisdictions (City of Durham, Durham County, Town of Chapel Hill, Town of Carrboro, Town of Hillsborough, Orange County, and Chatham County), NCDOT, FHWA, and other regional partners as part of this planning effort. The plan will depict a snapshot of the crash types, severities, and locations, identify safety and security deficiencies in the area, and will guide development of new strategies and campaigns for improving the overall safety of transportation in the region. The plan development is now underway. Please visit the Project Storymap to learn more about this important initiative.

Staff across different agencies in the Wilmington area began aligning projects and programming with the Vision Zero mindset in 2021. In 2023, the Wilmington MPO was awarded a Safe Streets and Roads for All grant to develop a safety action plan for the region. If you would like to be involved in Vision Zero Wilmington MPO efforts, please contact Carolyn Caggia at Carolyn.Caggia@wilmingtonnc.gov.

Winterville is a rapidly-growing small community just south of Greenville, NC. Despite its small size, Winterville has made admirable strides towards creating safer streets. Recent initiatives include passing a Vision Zero resolution; starting its first non-infrastructure Safe Routes to School program; installing high visibility crosswalks in collaboration with NC DOT; implementing a “quick build” intersection improvement project funded by the National Center for Safe Routes to School; and filling in sidewalk gaps. Despite these efforts, there is much work to be done, with Winterville being home to several particularly dangerous corridors (e.g., NC-11) and other obstacles, such as a disconnected sidewalk network, little dedicated bike infrastructure, an active rail line that runs through the center of town, and low-density development. To continue improving street safety, Winterville applied for and was awarded a 2024 Safe Streets For All planning grant, and is in the process of forming a VZ coalition.