The Athens City Council May 22 unanimously approved to adopt Vision Zero Athens, a citywide goal to eliminate traffic deaths and severe injuries among all road users within Athens by the year 2040.

Between 2014 and 2018, the city of Athens recorded nine traffic-related fatalities, not including those involving a train.

“It’s basically saying that no deaths are acceptable on our roadways in Athens and that no loss of life is acceptable on our city streets. Vision Zero Athens is a strategy we are going to work towards,” city planner Erin Tidwell said.

By adopting Vision Zero Athens, the city is now better positioned when it applies for federal funding later this year.

The program will also benefit the city when it applies for federal transportation grants because cities with Vision Zero plans receive additional scoring,” Paige Parker, a city planner who researched Vision Zero, said.

Through Vision Zero, Athens will establish a Safety Committee that will advise City Council on the development and implementation of a Vision Zero Safety Action Plan. The plan also supports designing transportation systems to move all people safely, including people of all ages and abilities, pedestrians and bicyclists.

“Other cities in the nation have adopted the program, and we see it as a valuable tool to utilize toward reaching this goal,” Mayor Ronnie Marks said.