RICHMOND, Va. — Six pedestrians have been hit and killed by drivers in Richmond within the last few weeks, sparking community outcry and calls for action. The rash of deadly crashes also raises questions about the attainability of the city's goal to completely eliminate all traffic fatalities within the next four years.
“This is particularly tragic, and it's very upsetting, and a lot of people in the community are scared," Natalie Rainer of Sports Backers, which has an advocacy program that promotes bike- and pedestrian-friendly infrastructure, said about the tragedies. "I have never noticed a spike quite like this."
The fatal crashes include Valentine Museum Director Bill Martin being struck while walking in Downtown Richmond on December 27, a hit-and-run on Semmes Avenue on January 3, and a man who was struck by a dump truck driver on Tuesday near Carver Elementary School.
Richmond Mayor Danny Avula took to social media Wednesday to decry the recent activity, saying it's prompting his administration to take "urgent steps" which will be announced in the coming days.
"It's heartbreaking, and I think for me, it ratchets up the urgency with which we need to act, because we cannot treat traffic deaths as normal. Every person who walks or rides in our city deserves to feel safe, and I know many of you who do walk or ride don't feel that way right now," Avula said in a video posted to social media.
According to Bike Walk RVA, at least three pedestrian crashes since October involved a person who was in a crosswalk while a walk signal was activated, and they were still hit.
“We believe that these fatalities are preventable, and it will take continued buy-in from the community and from our municipalities to invest in road improvements and street safety improvements. But at the end of the day, drivers need to pay attention," Rainer said.
The belief that traffic deaths can be avoided is in part why Richmond has committed to the Vision Zero mission since 2017, which Mayor Avula reaffirmed in October 2025 by taking the pledge.
It's a program that was first initiated in Sweden and aims to reshape road safety through infrastructure changes, enforcement, and advancing better driver behaviors. The goal is to bring the number of traffic fatalities in Richmond to zero by 2030.
"Is it your belief that all of these fatalities can truly be prevented?” reporter Tyler Layne asked City Councilmember Stephanie Lynch (5th District).
“No, I think that we’d be unrealistic to say that fatalities of any sort are 100% preventable. In any city, no matter where you live, you are, unfortunately, always, always going to have vehicular fatalities," Lynch said. "Can we do more to reduce the number and frequency? Absolutely, I think that we've taken a series of measures in Vision Zero.”
Lynch said she takes a "practice to perfect" approach in coming up with solutions. She said Richmond has already implemented speed reduction measures, speed photo enforcement, red light cameras, bumpouts, and so forth in recent years. However, more still needs to be done, like investing in additional pedestrian hybrid beacons and overhauling the city's most dangerous roads.
“Has the City Council dedicated the appropriate funding to implement all of those investments?” Layne asked.
“I would say at first, no. I think that over time, and particularly after 2020, we saw a renewed interest," Lynch said.
She said the council has approved $86 million over the next three years, specifically for Vision Zero efforts, and the city will receive additional funding for those initiatives through state and federal sources. She's also pushing to renew efforts to lower some speed limits from 25 mph to 20 mph.
But currently, the data doesn't show Richmond moving closer to its goal to eliminate traffic-related deaths by 2030.
Amid the program's launch in 2017, Richmond reported 15 traffic fatalities, but ever since 2022, the city has reported an even higher number each year.
Twenty-six deaths were reported in 2022, the highest number recorded on the city's Vision Zero dashboard. According to Richmond Police, 22 traffic deaths were reported in 2025.
“When you take a look back at that data and you assess Vision Zero, would you say that it has been unsuccessful?” Layne asked.
“I would not. I think we have to look at that commiserate to population growth," Lynch said. "There’s just more people here. There’s more cars here.”
Rainer said Vision Zero presents a "worthy goal" but added infrastructure investments are the key to achieving it. Since human behavior will inherently be flawed, she said, designing safer streets must force drivers to make better decisions on the roads.
"We all make mistakes, and we all become distracted for different reasons, one way or the other. And so what can keep people safe is if our streets are designed to keep people safe, not just to move cars quickly," Rainer said.
CBS 6 requested an interview with a leader from the Department of Public Works, which manages the Vision Zero program, for this story. We did not hear back on that request, but Mayor Avula announced on social media that the city would hold a news conference related to pedestrian safety later this week.
CBS 6 is committed to sharing community voices on this important topic. Email your thoughts to the CBS 6 Newsroom.
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