RESOLUTION NO. 129
ADOPTING A VISION ZERO POLICY FOR ALBANY COUNTY
Introduced: 4/13/26
By Laurilliard:
WHEREAS, Vision Zero is a strategy that aims to achieve zero traffic fatalities or serious injuries on roadways while increasing safe, healthy, and equitable mobility for all, and
WHEREAS, Streets and transportation systems have traditionally been designed with the goal of moving cars efficiently, and Vision Zero strategies aim for a paradigm shift by designing streets and transportation systems to move all people safely, including people of all ages and abilities, pedestrians, bicyclists, public transit users, scooter riders, and motorcyclists, as well as drivers and passengers of motor vehicles, and
WHEREAS, The Albany County Legislature supports the Vision Zero strategy and believes that the life and health of all persons living and traveling within Albany County are of the utmost priority and that no one should be killed or seriously injured while traveling on County roadways, and
WHEREAS, According to the New York State Institute for Traffic Safety Management and Research’s Traffic Safety Statistical Repository, 99 people in Albany County lost their lives to traffic deaths between 2019 and 2023, and traffic crashes are among the leading causes of death in the United States, and
WHEREAS, The injury rate for reported crashes involving pedestrians in Albany County from 2019 to 2023 was approximately 98%, and the injury rate for reported crashes involving bicyclists was approximately 89%, and
WHEREAS, Approximately 10% of crashes in the Capital Region from 2019 to 2023 occurred on County-owned roadways, and about 13% of fatal and serious injury crashes occurred on County-owned roadways, and
WHEREAS, Pedestrians and bicyclists were involved in 2% of traffic crashes and accounted for 31% of traffic deaths in Albany County between 2019 and 2023, and
WHEREAS, From 2019 to 2023, fatalities and serious injuries were 42% more likely per capita in identified regional communities of concern in the Capital Region, including identified populations such as low-income, minorities, youth, elderly, those with limited English proficiency, individuals with a disability, foreign-born, households with zero cars, and single female parent households, and
WHEREAS, Policymakers, transportation planners, and engineers are expected to improve the roadway environment, policies, and other related systems to lessen the frequency and severity of crashes, and
WHEREAS, On the federal level, the United States Department of Transportation has adopted the National Road Safety Strategy, which accepts a national goal of zero roadway fatalities and promotes the Safe System Approach as a universal guiding paradigm, and
WHEREAS, The Safe System Approach acknowledges that humans will inevitably make mistakes and supports the design of road systems and related policies that ensure those inevitable mistakes do not result in severe injuries or fatalities, and
WHEREAS, On the state level, the New York State Department of Transportation has adopted a goal of zero fatalities and serious injuries for all road users in its Strategic Highway Safety Plan (2023), and
WHEREAS, In 2025, the Capital Region Transportation Council adopted the Capital Region Vision Zero Safety Action Plan and Vision Zero Policy which sets a goal of eliminating roadway fatalities and reducing serious injuries by 50% by 2050, and
WHEREAS, Eliminating fatalities and reducing serious injuries by 50% by 2050 on Capital Region roadways is one of the key goals identified in the Capital Region Transportation Council’s Long-Range Transportation Plan, and
WHEREAS, The County’s transportation infrastructure serves an increasing number of vulnerable road users such as pedestrians and bicyclists, and
WHEREAS, Children, older adults, people of color, people with disabilities, people who are unhoused, and people with low income face a significantly disproportionate risk of traffic injuries and fatalities, and
WHEREAS, Making streets safer for all people using all modes of transportation will encourage people to travel on foot, by bicycle, and by public transit, which supports a healthier, more active lifestyle, and reduces environmental pollution, and
WHEREAS, The County of Albany has already shown its commitment to roadway safety through the County’s opt-in School Bus Safety Program whereby every bus in the participating school district’s fleet is outfitted with school bus stop arm cameras to identify and issue tickets to drivers who illegally pass a stopped school bus, now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, By the Albany County Legislature that the County of Albany hereby endorses Vision Zero policies and adopts the goal of eliminating traffic deaths and reducing serious injuries by 50% by 2050, and, be it further
RESOLVED, That the County of Albany adopts the goal of eliminating inequitable enforcement of traffic violations, and, be it further
RESOLVED, That the County of Albany adopts the goal of zero traffic deaths and serious injuries, and, be it further
RESOLVED, That the County of Albany commits to supporting the implementation of the Capital Region Vision Zero Safety Action Plan, and, be it further
RESOLVED, That the Clerk of the County Legislature is directed to forward certified copies of this resolution to the appropriate County Officials.