Vision Zero Cities Conference 2026 Recap
Last week, I flew to New York City to participate in the Vision Zero Cities conference. I met people from all over the world working to make their cities a safer place to walk, bike, and roll. I left feeling inspired by the progress being made in cities that have historically been hostile to bikes. I also left feeling slightly dismayed, seeing just how much progress is still needed in San Diego, which on paper has many of the qualities should result in a bike friendly city.
The conference kicked off with a morning keynote by Deborah Archer, President of the ACLU and Author of Dividing Lines: How Transportation Infrastructure Reinforces Racial Inequality. She discussed the historical relationship between the built environment and racial equity, and the ways in which the legacy endures today. We got to hear examples of how cities have righted these urban failures, like Rochester's removal and redevelopment of the Inner Belt Expressway. The lecture was a powerful reminder of how all Circulate's priority issues of mobility, transit, and housing all must be approached with an equity lens.
Next, we heard from a panel of activists and city staffers working at the local level in car-forward cities. Knoxville's Vision Zero Manager shared how his mayor set up his position, to lead a stand alone Vision Zero program, and how he's been able to use it to invigorate community support for slow streets demonstration projects. We heard from Harris County Texas about the difficulties dealing with car culture in the Houston area. And we heard about growing support for multi-modal projects in Miami, where people consider bike lanes "socialist".
I then got to attend panels on transportation technology and New York's congestion pricing program. The transportation technology panelists shared how innovations like intelligent speed assist, red light cameras, and speed cameras, when thoughtfully introduced, can create safer streets. At the congestion pricing panel agency staff and advocates talked about the beginning of the movement to bring congestion pricing to lower Manhattan. We got to see some of the early results from the program, and hear about how it is working exactly as projected. Panelists shared that the program's biggest proponents are drivers who commute on a daily basis, a sign that the program is working as it should!
The final keynote was a dialogue between Jennifer Homendy, Chairwoman of the National Transportation Safety Board, and Henry Grabar, author and journalist. Chairwoman Homendy talked about the safety of the transportation ecosystem as a whole, and how she brings her perspective as a cyclist to her role. While traveling in personal vehicles, biking, and walking are the most dangerous travel methods, the NTSB spends most of its time investigating other modes of transportation safety incidents and making safety policy recommendations. Maybe it's time to revisit the NTSB's authorizing statute to make its investigations align better with the risk of traveling on our roadways!
All that in just day one! The next day was field tours! I got to bike around central park and hear about Transportation Alternatives' campaign to close the park's central loop to vehicular traffic. It was a perfectly beautiful fall day to imagine what Balboa Park could be! I later went downtown to for a walking tour of Corlears Hook Park to see how the this section of the east river has been redesigned into a community gathering place all while making the abutting lower east side neighborhoods more climate resilient.
The conference was an amazing experience getting to connect with people working on safe streets across the world! All against the backdrop of one of the most exciting urban environments!
