FAQs

It's a traffic safety strategy for preventing all traffic-related fatalities and serious injuries. Vision Zero is recognized around the world, starting in in Sweden in 1997.

Speeding and traffic safety are the top traffic concerns we hear from residents in the City of Kitchener. Serious injuries and fatalities are low in Kitchener roads, but none are acceptable.

Vision Zero is a new way of thinking about creating safer roads:

• focused on fatal and serious injuries - the traditional approach is to look at all collisions
• no loss of life is acceptable
• acknowledging that humans make mistakes, which we can anticipate and account for
• road safety is a shared responsibility between the people who design, maintain and use the road

Although eliminating all traffic related serious injuries and fatalities is challenging, we believe that no traffic deaths and serious injuries are acceptable. The City’s mission is to identify the road safety improvements required to lower the number of traffic serious injuries and deaths as much as possible with the vision of reaching zero.

The Vision Zero approach has been proven around the world in reducing serious injuries and deaths. Road safety is improved through engineering, evaluation, engagement, education and enforcement improvements.

We are still identifying the improvements required to enhance road safety in Kitchener. Staff will also look into the experience of other municipalities to see what has worked best.

We will use traffic and collision data to identify priority locations.

There are many road safety efforts being undertaken by the City of Kitchener, including:

• Seasonal, formal and resident-led traffic calming programs
  Complete streets guidelines
  40km/h Neighbourhood Speed Limit review project
  Separated cycling facilities project

We will compare our current work against Vision Zero best practices to identify areas where we can improve.

We are working with:

• Region of Waterloo
• Other local municipalities in the area 
• Waterloo Region Police Services
• Region of Waterloo Health Services
• Region of Waterloo School Board
• City of Kitchener residents

We will engage the public through a series of engagement events.

Data shows pedestrians and cyclists are involved in more than their fair share of serious injuries and fatal collisions. Vision Zero focuses on most vulnerable road users.

Our goal is to make sure getting around is safe and convenient for everyone, no matter how they travel.

Click the Subscribe button on the top right-hand side of this page to get updates about Vision Zero.

To request a paper copy of the survey, please contact Faranak Hosseini at 519-741-2200 ext 7665 or faranak.hosseini@kitchener.ca.

You will receive a pre-paid postage envelope along with the paper copy of the survey. You can use the pre-paid postage envelop to send back your responses. The address for sending back the completed survey is:

Faranak Hosseini
Transportation Planning Project Manager
Transportation Services, 5th Floor
200 King St W, Kitchener, ON
 N2G 4G7

Our goal is to ensure that every resident has access to the highest quality services that we can provide. The information you provide will (1) Tell us who you are, (2) Help us plan for services, (3) Help us improve access to services to particular populations if gaps are identified, and (4) Help us to engage diverse voices in decision making.

Your answers will help us understand who is using our services, and/or who we are connecting with through our community engagement efforts, and who may be missing. We know that sometimes people experience discrimination due to many different factors when it comes to service delivery and community inclusion, including sexual orientation, gender identity or racial or ethnic background. If we don’t ask, then we won’t know if discrimination or exclusion is happening, and if we don’t know who we are reaching, then we cannot develop strategies to correct any existing barriers.

We want to make sure that no matter where you come from, or what your status is, you are able to access the services you need and be a part of community engagement efforts if you choose. 

No we don’t give your information to anyone. Again, knowledge about income helps us understand who is using services, who we are reaching out to, and if there is possibly a barrier due to income level. Research tells us that different income groups, especially individuals with lower income may experience poorer services or experience exclusion more than those with higher incomes. We don’t want this to happen here and we want to know if it is so that we can take steps to address it. 

Yes. The Ontario Human Rights Commission encourages the collection of socio-demographic data in order to promote equity and protect human rights as identified under the Ontario Human Rights Code. 

Your answers will be used by the City of Kitchener to provide a deeper understanding of who we are engaging, who our clients are, to help plan for services, and ensure we are providing the best services for all.

Your information has been collected anonymously, the data will only be available in aggregate form; this means that your answers will be grouped with other answers and there will be no way to identify you personally.

No. Participation is completely voluntary.  

You can refuse to answer any question. Each question has a “prefer not to answer” option that you may choose.