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Vision Zero is an ambitious Denver project to eliminate traffic fatalities in the Mile High City by 2030. But with just ten years to go before its self-imposed deadline, the city is a very long way from achieving this goal. Indeed, the most dangerous Denver street over the past seven years-plus has seen more than 300 crashes resulting in serious injuries or deaths. A second street came close to that total, and six others exceeded 100 according to data collected under the Vision Zero umbrella.
We’ve been tracking Vision Zero’s progress in posts such as an August look at how Denver is trying to protect cyclists, pedestrians and scooter riders, and a followup identifying the most dangerous street to cross, Federal Boulevard, which suffered sixteen pedestrian deaths between 2013 and now. And these tragedies are just the beginning.
At present, the Vision Zero dashboard, which allows easy online access to statistics, shows a total of 4,465 serious injury-or-death accidents over the aforementioned span at this writing, including 44 already in 2020. The separate casualty figure is 397 – up from 367 in mid-August 2019. Of this total, 98 died in passenger car or van crashes, 38 perished in wrecks involving SUVs and another eleven lost their lives during mishaps linked to pickup trucks or utility vans. Additionally, 81 pedestrians, 70 motorcyclists and fourteen bicyclists (three of them riding motorized bikes) were also killed from 2013 to the present.
Of the 4,465 smash-ups that caused serious injuries or deaths, 1,896 of them, or nearly 43 percent, took place on just twenty major Denver streets. They’re listed in descending order by the number of such accidents since 2013.
Of course, some of these routes cover more territory than others, meaning that crashes on the likes of Colfax, known as the longest Main Street in America, are less concentrated than they may seem at first blush. But the figures still speak to the risks to commuters on these major traffic arteries, as well as the vulnerability of pedestrians, motorcyclists and bicyclists, who pop up regularly in another element we’ve included, the mode of transportation with the most fatalities.
The sixteen pedestrian casualties on Federal remains by far the highest number, but people on foot top this grim stat on five other Denver streets. For their part, motorcyclists are the most frequent fatality mode a disturbing eight times.
Getting to zero in just a decade won’t be easy. Continue for the countdown.
This memorial was held last July in honor of Alexis Bounds, who was killed while cycling near the intersection of South Marion Street Parkway and East Bayaud Avenue.
Photo by Chris Walker
20. Bruce Randolph
Killed or seriously injured, 2013-2020: 12
Mode of transportation with the most fatalities: Passenger car/van (2)
19. (tie) Ellsworth
Killed or seriously injured, 2013-2020: 17
Mode of transportation with the most fatalities: Pickup truck/utility van (1)
19. (tie) Montview
Killed or seriously injured, 2013-2020: 17
Mode of transportation with the most fatalities: Motorcycle (1)
17. Wadworth
Killed or seriously injured, 2013-2020: 20
Mode of transportation with the most fatalities: Passenger car/van (3)
16. Morrison
Killed or seriously injured, 2013-2020: 25
Mode of transportation with the most fatalities: Under investigation (1)
15. (tie) Brighton
Killed or seriously injured, 2013-2020: 33
Mode of transportation with the most fatalities: Bicycle (2)
15 (tie) Lowell
Killed or seriously injured, 2013-2020: 33
Mode of transportation with the most fatalities: Bicycle and Pedestrian (1 each)
13. Logan
Killed or seriously injured, 2013-2020: 43
Mode of transportation with the most fatalities: Motorcycle, Passenger car/van and SUV (2 each)
12. University
Killed or seriously injured, 2013-2020: 47
Mode of transportation with the most fatalities: Pedestrian and Pickup truck/utility van (1 each)
11. Lincoln
Killed or seriously injured, 2013-2020: 59
Mode of transportation with the most fatalities: Pedestrian and Motorcycle (1 each)
10. Santa Fe
Killed or seriously injured, 2013-2020: 68
Mode of transportation with the most fatalities: Passenger car/van (3)
9. Hampden
Killed or seriously injured, 2013-2020: 86
Mode of transportation with the most fatalities: Pedestrian (2)
8. Speer
Killed or seriously injured, 2013-2020: 104
Mode of transportation with the most fatalities: Motorcycle and Passenger car/van (2 each)
7. Broadway
Killed or seriously injured, 2013-2020: 127
Mode of transportation with the most fatalities: Motorcycle (3)
6. Evans
Killed or seriously injured, 2013-2020: 129
Mode of transportation with the most fatalities: Pedestrian (6)
5. Sheridan
Killed or seriously injured, 2013-2020: 153
Mode of transportation with the most fatalities: Motorcycle (6)
4. Alameda
Killed or seriously injured, 2013-2020: 156
Mode of transportation with the most fatalities: Motorcycle (7)
3. Colorado
Killed or seriously injured, 2013-2020: 170
Mode of transportation with the most fatalities: Passenger car/van (10)
2. Colfax
Killed or seriously injured, 2013-2020: 298
Mode of transportation with the most fatalities: Motorcycle (7)
1. Federal
Killed or seriously injured, 2013-2020: 342
Mode of transportation with the most fatalities: Pedestrian (16)
