21-05-2025
Cleveland traffic deaths rise despite street safety push
More than 600 cyclists and pedestrians were struck by cars in Cleveland in 2024, per a new report from the advocacy organization Bike Cleveland.
Why it matters: Fatal car crashes have risen steadily, even as the city pursues policies to make streets safer.
Catch up quick: Cleveland launched the Vision Zero initiative in 2022, which aims to eliminate traffic fatalities by 2032.
And this year, the city announced Cleveland Moves, a five-year mobility plan to make streets more accommodating for non-drivers.
It included a pledge to build at least 50 miles of protected bike lanes in the next three years.
Yes, but: Bike Cleveland says the escalating fatal crashes and pedestrian collisions demonstrate the urgent need to redesign streets.
"These crashes are not accidents," the report argues, "they're the tragic and preventable result of streets that fail to keep people safe."
Zoom in: The group compiled data from the city's 911 calls and the state's crash reports, acknowledging the totals are likely an undercount. The collisions were broken down by location and type.
Overall, 75 people were killed in Cleveland traffic crashes in 2024, up from 59 in 2023 and 43 in 2022.
Fifteen of the fatalities were pedestrians or cyclists.
By the numbers: Ward 3 (Downtown, Ohio City, Tremont) saw more collisions involving cyclists and pedestrians last year than any other ward, with 85 total.
Wards 3 and 14 (Clark-Fulton, Stockyards) saw the most fatal crashes, with three each.
Beyond ward-by-ward infrastructure recommendations, the crash report outlines priorities like creating a standalone city department of transportation.
What they're saying: Bike Cleveland executive director Jacob VanSickle tells Axios the city's transportation system is fragmented, with City Planning, Capital Projects and Public Works each handling elements of design and maintenance.
"This siloed structure creates inefficiencies, slows progress and dilutes accountability," he says.
A dedicated department would bring these functions under one body and provide the "coordination, capacity, and leadership" needed to deliver on the city's mobility plans.
Zoom out: VanSickle said Cleveland could look to Pittsburgh and Oakland, which established similar departments in the past decade.
The intrigue: Cuyahoga County Executive Chris Ronayne floated the idea of a county-level transportation department on the campaign trail in 2022.
