Des Moines reports safety gains in Vision 0 and Complete Streets updates, $13M federal grant not yet in hand

Corey Bogenrich, principal traffic engineer for the City of Des Moines, and Jeff Wiggins, transportation planner, told the City Council work session that the city’s Complete Streets and Vision 0 annual reports document progress on infrastructure and safety targets while identifying funding and staffing gaps.

The reports track progress on fatalities and serious injuries, summarize before-and-after evaluations of safety projects, and list action steps from the Vision 0 plan (adopted by council in June 2023). “Vision 0 … is based on the safe systems approach,” Bogenrich said. “It works by building and reinforcing multiple layers of protection to both prevent crashes from happening in the first place and then minimizing the harm caused of those crashes when they do occur.”

Why it matters: The two reports guide multi-year investments to reduce deaths and serious injuries on Des Moines streets, including sidewalk infill, bike facilities, curb ramps and speed-management changes. Staff told the council the city has documented measurable reductions at specific treated locations and is preparing a fuller 2024 report due in mid-2025.

Most important findings and numbers

- Sidewalks and curb ramps: Over the five-year reporting window staff said crews and capital projects delivered about 21 miles of new sidewalk and replaced roughly 25.5 miles; private development added about 22 miles. Move DSM identified 180 miles of priority-1…