Honoring lives lost: A call to end traffic violence in Charlotte and beyond

Last Sunday Sustain Charlotte joined together with representatives from the Charlotte Department of Transportation (CDOT), Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD), and NC Families for Safe Streets to solemnly honor the victims of traffic violence in Charlotte and North Carolina. The most powerful words came from Wendy Salazar, whose 7-year-old grandson Liam was killed by street racers at 140 mph, and from Aretesia Isom-Staten, whose husband Lee was killed by a drunk driver early in the morning while on his way to work, less than a mile from home. 

A vast display of shoes at the event in First Ward Park represented the lives of the 1,242 people killed in speeding crashes in NC in just the past three years. There were work boots, flowery flip flops, baby shoes, running sneakers, high heels, and dress shoes. The diversity of shoes invited visitors to the display to contemplate that crash victims are more than statistics, and that each of those shoes represented a unique and valuable life. In Charlotte alone, there were 755 speeding crashes in 2023 that resulted in 26 fatalities. 

Sustain Charlotte volunteer Andy Patel stands in front of the shoe display (Photo: Meg Fencil)

People who walk and ride bicycles are most vulnerable to the dangers of speeding and distracted driving. Last year in Charlotte there were 95 crashes between vehicles and cyclists that resulted in injuries, and one that resulted in a death. The same article reports that between 2022 and 2023, NCDOT’s safety data shows that there was a 100% increase in cyclist deaths from being hit by a car, with 40 pedestrian fatalities statewide in 2023.  

The ability to safely travel on our streets regardless of age, ability level, or form of transportation should be a basic right. Most of Charlotte is still designed for cars rather than people, resulting in a lack of comprehensive safety for people in cars as well as those traveling by other forms of transportation.

We will continue to serve on CDOT’s Vision Zero Action Plan Task Force to support and advocate for the policies and investments that will save lives. Thank you to all of our followers who have advocated alongside us, whether by joining us for a mobility audit, calling for more connected bike lanes, or asking the City for more bike, pedestrian and Vision Zero funding. 

Our work won’t be complete until no lives are lost to traffic violence. It’s not impossible! Hundreds of cities have achieved their Vision Zero goals. 

Here are the comments Meg shared from the podium:

Good afternoon,

 I want to express my sincere condolences to all who have lost a loved one due to traffic violence on our streets.

Today as we stand together to honor our family members, friends and neighbors who have lost their lives, we look for hope amidst the tragedies.

For the past 14 years, Sustain Charlotte has worked in partnership with many community partners to mobilize residents to advocate for the policies, money, and political will required to make our streets safer.

In our conversations with Charlotte residents who are supportive but skeptical about whether the goal of zero deaths and serious injuries is a feasible target, we tell them “Every life matters and zero is the only acceptable goal.”

Safety must be THE PRIORITY for Charlotte’s streets. 

However, for most of Charlotte’s history, our streets have not been designed with safety as the priority.

We still face the tragic legacy of more than a half century of street design that prioritized the speed and convenience of drivers over the safety and lives of all people who use our streets. 

Because of that legacy, most of Charlotte’s streets are still designed to move as many cars as possible in the least amount of time rather than safety.

And when crashes occur on these streets designed for speed, the results are all too often fatalities or serious life-altering injuries.

Fortunately, we know what works. Other cities around the world, and even in the U.S., have achieved their Vision Zero goal. Ending traffic deaths requires a systemic approach that includes education, personal accountability, consistent & equitable enforcement of traffic laws, and above all: streets designed for safety.

Never underestimate the power of your voice!

As a community of advocates for safe streets we have power to tell our local and state leaders, and our neighbors that these investments matter…because the lives of our loved ones matter.

Their lives matter more than speeding to a destination or running a red light to save a few minutes.

We have seen that when we stand together and ask for safer streets, progress is made.

In fact, we’ve seen progress in making our streets safer and more equitable, especially in the last few years.

Thanks to thousands of residents engaging in advocacy, along with the political will of elected officials and the support of city staff, we’ve seen increased funding for sidewalks, the bike program, and Vision Zero.

Charlotte DOT has made numerous investments including infrastructure to reduce speeding, pedestrian crossing beacons, protected bike lanes, intersection improvements to reduce unsafe vehicle turning, safer sidewalks, new lighting, and more.

Despite these successes, it’s far from enough. Charlotte’s population is growing rapidly and we’re seeing more vehicles on our streets – and traffic fatalities have not declined as we’d hoped.  We must continue to advocate, side by side, for the changes that are needed. 

I invite you today to join us at Sustain Charlotte, and use your voice to become an advocate for safer streets.

And to envision a city in which people of all ages and abilities can safely get to the places they need and want to go.

Thank you so much for being here today.

Thanks for reading!

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