By Jorge Casuso

February 6, 2026 -- A decade after Santa Monica implemented a "Vision Zero" plan that has failed to curb fatal and severe injury crashes, three Councilmembers are calling for the City to go in a new direction.

The Discussion item placed on Tuesday's agenda by Mayor Caroline Torosis and Councilmembers Jesse Zwick and Dan Hall calls for "a reimagined plan that prioritizes human life" over vehicles in street design and engineering decisions.

The item asks staff to return within six months with a plan that:

• Assesses and presents options for reducing citywide "Design Speeds" that includes "rebalancing" the timing of traffic signals;
  
  
• Develops "new streamlined processes for gathering input on mobility projects" so they are guided by Vision Zero's goals and can be more efficiently completed;
  
  
• Uses restriping and other "quick-build tools" to reorient parking and bike lanes when streets are repaved under the Bike Action Plan, and
  
  
• Invests in "new tools and processes that analyze every severe injury and fatal crash" and implements "any applicable quick-build safety enhancements within three months of the incident."
  
  

The item comes after the number of serious accidents have soared despite major investments in traffic safety that included redesigning streets, installing protected bike lanes and conducting frequent traffic enforcement operations.

Adopted by the Council in February 2016, the Zero Vision Plan was prompted by a rising number of fatal and severe injury crashes with a goal of ending them in coming decades.

Along with the Zero Vision Plan, the Council adopted a Pedestrian Action Plan that made more than 100 changes, including improving crosswalks, adding curb extensions, widening sidewalks and adding signals.

Fifteen months later, in May 2017, the Council ordered faster action on the sweeping re-design of city streets after five pedestrian were struck by cars in as many weeks.

It also called for the creation of a “czar” to oversee its struggling "Vision Zero" policy ("Santa Monica City Council Calls for Safe Streets “Czar,” May 11, 2017).

Despite the investments, the number of fatal and severe injury crashes rose to 43 in 2019, before plummeting to 15 during the coronavirus shutdown in 2020.

In subsequent years, the City boosted its investments in street safety by adding crosswalk flashing beacons and stop signs and installing curb extensions and protected bikeways.

Still, the number of fatal and severe injury (FSI) crashes steadily rose after the shutdown before soaring to a record 60 in 2024, according to the latest data available ("Crashes Resulting in Severe Injuries, Deaths Soar," February 14, 2025).

Again, the Council quickly took action. In August 2024, it voted to reduce the speed limit on 47 stretches of boulevards, major cross streets and near schools ("Lower Speed Limits Go Into Effect," January 2, 2025).

The Council also asked the Police Department to hold more "high-visibility enforcement operations against dangerous driving" and provide quarterly updates that include detailed data on enforcement actions.

However, when the Council approved the current budget for Fiscal Year 2025-26 it scrapped a plan to add five sworn police officers in an effort to save money for the cash-strapped City ("Tight Budget Zeros in on Public Safety," June 30, 2025).