Commitment to Zero
Serving as a General Planning Consultant, Benesch has led several task orders for the Ocala/Marion TPO, including the Commitment to Zero Safety Action Plan. Safety has long been a priority of the Ocala Marion TPO and Commitment to Zero is the TPO’s call to action to eliminate traffic-related fatalities and serious injuries. It also serves as the Safety Action Plan for this 385,000-person North-Central Florida community.
Commitment to Zero is not just a slogan, plan, or effort isolated to the TPO, it is a community-wide shift in how the region talks about, approaches and addresses traffic safety. The Commitment to Zero Safety Action Plan strategies were developed and modeled on the Safe System approach, which acknowledges that traffic-related deaths and serious injuries are preventable, and that system designers, operators and users have a shared responsibility to put safety first.
Benesch successfully identified a High-Injury Network and establishment of safety emphasis areas and developed strategies based on the five principles of the Safe Systems approach.