114 The team answered many questions with GIS: • Where are higher numbers of fatal and severe crashes occurring? • What are speed limits in those corridors? • Are the roads straight, curved, or sloped? • Do pedestrians have access to safe sidewalks or similar infrastructure? One Vision Zero map is embedded in a dashboard, an onscreen display that brings together multiple types of data for continual updates and analysis. The map identifies the location of crashes that have resulted in severe injuries or fatalities over a five-year period. “We’re taking action by investing in cost-effective measures to make our roads safer and working closely with our community partners,” Tampa mayor Jane Castor said. “And because we know that certain areas are affected more severely, we’re making sure to direct a significant portion of our resources, 74 percent, toward those communities.” Paths to Improved Safety By embedding the map in a dashboard, analysts created a public resource in a simple format. Anyone can visit the online site to find up-todate crash data, including the location and severity of incidents. The dashboard is updated frequently, allowing policymakers to track the city’s progress. The project team also created an open data map of the High Injury Network as a major component of Tampa’s Vision Zero Action Plan. This map identifies Tampa’s 51 high-injury traffic corridors, which represent 24 percent of the city’s roadway miles. This is where 73 percent of the city’s traffic deaths occur. Tampa’s Vision Zero Crash Dashboard allows anyone to explore the serious and fatal crashes over the last five years. walking is hit by a car, they are more likely to die than suffer a life-altering injury. Traffic risk and injury in Tampa follows a national trend. Pedestrian deaths have increased by more than 70 percent since 2010, according to the National Highway Transportation Administration (NHTSA). The agency noted that more large vehicles are on the roads, especially pickup trucks that have been linked to increasing dangers for people walking. In Tampa, as in other cities, low lighting, speeding and aggressive driving, intoxication, and distracted driving also put people at risk. The work to reduce deaths and injuries on the city’s roads started with spatial analysis to determine who is at risk and where. Using GIS, planners collected and analyzed local crash data and incident reports. This allowed them to identify and assess Tampa’s most dangerous roads. The difference between safe and unsafe conditions is difficult to recognize on a spreadsheet. With GIS, planners can create virtual models and visualize project sites on 2D and 3D digital maps. This gives them geographic context to understand site conditions that contribute to risk.
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