Edmonton has now crossed a heartbreaking and unacceptable line: more than 30 people have been killed on our streets this year. These were parents, children, friends, neighbours—people who should still be here.
And the worst part?
Every single one of these deaths was preventable.
That is what Vision Zero is supposed to mean.
That is what Edmonton promised in 2015.
That is the commitment residents have heard for ten long years.
And today, in 2025, we are forced to say something we never wanted to say:
We are not on track. We are not improving. We are failing. 237 lives have been lost.
This might be the year we set a new record for senseless slaughter on our streets.
We are on pace to break the record for traffic deaths.
We are on pace to experience the most dangerous year in Edmonton’s history.
And the City is still approving and building the same street designs that put people at risk.
This is not what Vision Zero looks like.
This is what policy failure looks like.
Only one councillor who adopted Vision Zero is still in office—Mayor Andrew Knack—and he now leads a city where the death rate is rising sharply again. Mayor Knack campaigned on improving safety, and holding drivers accountable via a Traffic Safety Team. We look forward to receiving details of what that looks like and hope that he moves quickly to advance these goals.
We want his legacy to be one where Vision Zero is achieved.
Remediation. Construction projects sometimes have mistakes that need to be fixed. These may not be identified until the end of the construction season, so the only opportunity to fix them could be the following construction season.
Edmontonians need time to adapt. One full year is likely the fastest that this could happen, even if some of the infrastructure still needs remediation.
For context, that’s 5 construction seasons from now: 2026, 2027, 2028, 2029, and 2030.
2026 will be a continuation of the current budget (excepting any amendments) and will follow the existing standards. That means council needs to act now to ensure that the funding and minimum standards exist for the 2027-2030 construction seasons to install safe infrastructure on Edmonton’s 18,000km of roads. Even the most optimistic among us would realize that this is impossible and we’ve already failed.
“It was human error.”
“It’s a tragic reminder to be careful.”
“We’re reviewing the location.”
“We’ll make adjustments after the investigation.”
These are not safety strategies.
These are public relations strategies.
Vision Zero is not about asking humans to be perfect.
It’s about designing a system where mistakes don’t get people killed.
And right now, Edmonton is not building that system.
Safe speeds
Self-explaining streets
Connected 5A biking and walking networks
Safe access to transit
Winter-reliable options
Proactive action at high-risk locations
Fewer car trips
True GBA+ and racial equity
Safer school zones
Climate action
Stronger, healthier neighbourhoods
But instead of building for safety, we’re building for convenience and car throughput.
Instead of 5A bike lanes, we get MUPs designed like wide sidewalks.
Instead of protected crossings, we get painted lines and hope.
Instead of speed-reducing geometry, we get “Towards 40” signs and wishful thinking.
Instead of fixing high-injury streets today, we wait years—sometimes until after someone is killed.
If this is the system we rely on, then Vision Zero isn’t a strategy.
It’s a slogan.
It’s the cost of building a city around car dependency, not human life.
Thirty deaths in a year is not an accident.
It’s a policy choice.
A choice to build unsafe infrastructure.
A choice to delay safety improvements.
A choice to treat walking, biking, and transit as afterthoughts.
A choice to prioritize driver convenience over human survival.
We refuse to normalize this.
We refuse to accept it.
We refuse to let the City congratulate itself on “progress” while people are dying at record numbers.
No one dies walking to the bus stop.
No one is killed crossing the street near their school.
No one biking to work is run over because a protected lane wasn’t built.
No one in a wheelchair is forced into traffic because the sidewalk ends.
No one loses a loved one to a crash we could have prevented.
We want the City to live up to its own strategies.
We want 5A infrastructure everywhere.
We want real, enforced safe speeds.
We want winter-safe active transportation.
We want safe transit access.
We want proactive—not reactive—interventions.
We want designs that protect everyone, not just people in cars.
And we want it now, because more people will die if we keep waiting.
We need leadership.
We need urgency.
We need the political courage to prioritize human life over driver convenience.
Vision Zero is 10 years old.
Instead of hitting zero, we’re hitting record highs.
We are not okay with that.
We will never be okay with that.
And we’re going to keep pushing until the City stops accepting traffic deaths as inevitable and starts treating them as preventable tragedies that demand bold action.
We include this not to sensationalize tragedy, but because saying “30 deaths” without naming even a few of them hides the human cost.
A 58-year-old woman is dead after she was struck by a driver of an SUV while walking her dog in a marked crosswalk.
Ali Sayed, age 5 — November 3 in McConachie (NE Edmonton)
A young child running on the sidewalk outside his home fell, and a driver exiting a townhouse parking lot struck him. He was taken to hospital and later died. He was the oldest of four siblings.
3 dead in separate collisions in a 48-hour period - May at various locations
Ashton Wilson — June 17, 2025 on Whitemud Drive near 111 Street
A father and fiancé who had pulled over with his young child. A semi-truck struck the stopped van; when Ashton got out, he was hit and killed. His partner described him as a natural leader who “lived for his family.”
Unnamed man, 73 — October 3, 2025 on 23 Ave & Maskêkosihk Trail (Stillwater/Uplands)
A senior crossing a wide arterial at dawn was struck by a driver of a pickup truck. Police reported “sun glare” as a factor. His name was not released publicly.
Unnamed man, 35 — July 28, 2025 at Maple Crest CN Rail Crossing (34 Ave & Railway St)
A pedestrian was struck and killed by a CN train at a level crossing between Maple Crest and Tamarack. His name was not released.
Unnamed man, 39 — May 26, 2025 at Gateway Boulevard & 63 Avenue
A cyclist was struck by a deriver of a pickup truck at one of Edmonton’s most hostile arterial intersections. He was taken to hospital in critical condition and later died. His name was not released.
Unnamed woman, 21 - March 8 on Hewes Way and 23 Avenue
A young woman was hit and killed while crossing a road on a green light after a driver of a pickup truck struck her.
We refuse to let that continue.