Vision Zero Public Awareness Efforts on Streets Across the City

Vision Zero Banner Installation on Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn. Credit: NYC DOT

NYC DOT Will Utilize 1,000 of Its Street Light Poles To Hang Banners With Traffic Safety Messaging

The launch of a new Vision Zero public awareness effort on streets across the city was announced today. NYC DOT will utilize 1,000 of its street light poles to hang banners with traffic safety messaging. NYC DOT will post messages primarily on streets that are Vision Zero corridors that are also prioritized for street safety redesigns and enhanced enforcement of traffic laws. In addition to banners on light poles, the campaign imagery will also be displayed on city-owned properties. Under Vizion Zero, the city prioritizes The Three Es: Engineering, Education, and Enforcement. To implement the Three Es, NYC DOT has a $4.7 billion 10-year budget to redesign streets to make them safer; supplement NYPD’s traffic enforcement efforts through speed cameras and red-light cameras; and raise awareness through public education to complement its Vision Zero work.

The messaging posted on NYC DOT light poles supplements the agency’s Speeding Ruins Lives multi-platform public awareness campaign to reduce speeding and reckless driving. The campaign uses powerful imagery of pedestrians and cyclists in slow motion to show the impact of a crash paired with a direct call to action for drivers to slow down. 

New Yorkers will spot banners on streets throughout the five boroughs.

NYC DOT is working to reduce traffic deaths holistically through Vision Zero education, enforcement, and street engineering. Last year traffic deaths declined in New York City, with fatalities near all-time lows. In addition to completing transformative street redesign projects, NYC DOT successfully fought for the renewal and expansion of red-light cameras, began reducing speed limits in targeted areas under Sammy’s Law, improved visibility at thousands of locations at intersections, pedestrianized over 350,000 square feet of space, implemented measures to give pedestrians a head-start in crosswalks, and continued its efforts to dramatically expand bike lanes and other infrastructure.

Campaign Results

Although advertising is a small portion of the city’s overall Vision Zero budget, a data-driven approach is critical for ensuring that funds are used effectively and efficiently. Teams conduct qualitative and quantitative research in campaign development and to measure awareness and impact. Data identifies target audiences and geographical ad placements.

In 2022, DOT analyzed the influence of Vision Zero messaging, specifically on male drivers, age 25-54, a demographic group involved in a disproportionate share of traffic crashes:

• 70 percent are aware of Vision Zero 
• 83 percent support of Vision Zero as a valuable government program 
• 81 percent say the campaign encouraged them to be a more responsible driver 
• 77 percent say they will give more thought to their speed when approaching crosswalks 
• 81 percent say they will pay more attention to pedestrians and cyclists