Vision Zero in Action: Pontevedra, Spain

Across the world, a movement is growing to build people-oriented streets that are safe for everyone and on which no one dies by design. It is called “Vision Zero.”

Meet Pontevedra, Spain, a city with 85,000 residents and 0 traffic deaths since 2011.

How did they do it?

First of all, to dispel a few assumptions:

  • The city is not especially dense (New Haven is 4 times denser)

  • The city does not have amazing public transit (quite the contrary, they only have 2 bus lines!)

What they do have is a bold and visionary mayor, Miguel Anxo Fernandez Lores, who, since gaining office in 1999, has systematically worked to transform how residents move about the city with amazing results (read more here).

Pontevedra city center

“Fewer cars, more city”

Photo: David Zipper

In the past 25 years under his leadership, the city has:

  • Gradually removed all on-street parking, initially downtown and then citywide

  • Heavily restricted car access (exceptions for those with disabilities, delivery vehicles, etc)

  • Converted traffic lanes to sidewalks and public space and widened existing sidewalks

  • Used parking lots in the town's periphery for those coming from out of town to park and walk

  • Blanked the city with speed humps on remaining streets and lowered the speed limit to 20mph accordingly

  • They have had to build very few bike lanes because the streets are inherently safe: it is the cyclists who have to slow down for pedestrians

  • They have approved no new mall construction on the city's periphery and focus on boosting walkable local businesses for residents' needs

Due to these changes, the city has achieved:

  • 0 traffic deaths since 2011

  • A 97% reduction in vehicle traffic downtown and 53% across the city

  • Improved air quality with a 2/3 reduction in CO2 emissions

  • An economic and population boom: both are growing faster than any other city in the region

Image: Pontevedra City Council via David Zipper

Could New Haven be the next Pontevedra? Absolutely.

Will it? Not without courageous leadership and strong community support.

Join the Safe Streets Coalition to call for bold action to address the traffic violence crisis and create people-centered streets across New Haven.