Cleveland has touted investments made across the city to improve road safety in recent years. Still, the number of crashes involving cyclists and pedestrians and the number of traffic fatalities climbed in 2024, according to Bike Cleveland. 

In a presentation to Cleveland City Council members last week, the advocacy group noted that fatal traffic crashes in the city jumped by more than 70% in a two-year period from 43 in 2022 to 75 in 2024. 

Each statistic represents someone whose life was changed by a crash, and as Bike Cleveland’s report states, “These crashes are not accidents — they’re the tragic and preventable result of streets that fail to keep people safe.”

In 2022, Cleveland adopted the Vision Zero Initiative, committing to eliminate all traffic fatalities and severe injuries by 2032. 

The number of people hit while walking or biking increased from about 550 to 603 in 2024. 

Nationally, traffic crashes spiked following the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, Jenna Thomas, Bike Cleveland’s Advocacy Director, told Signal Cleveland.

Between May 2020 and December 2022, traffic crashes killed 114,528 people nationwide, about 17% more than would have been expected had pre-pandemic trends continued, according to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. 

Thomas said it is fortunate that fatal crashes locally appear to be dropping in 2025. 

Council Member Charles Slife asked Bike Cleveland’s presenters how the city should move forward. Thomas said the city should continue to invest in its current traffic safety commitments.

In April, the City launched Cleveland Moves, a five-year plan to make it “safer, more convenient, and more comfortable to get around Cleveland.” Building on the Vision Zero Action Plan, it calls for 50 miles of new or upgraded bikeways and neighborhood greenways with traffic-calming features such as speed tables, curb extensions or narrowed lanes. 

The city installed 100 speed tables in 2024 and plans to add an additional 100 this year. Speed tables are flat on the top and are not as abrupt as speed bumps, which are narrower and rounded, making them easier to cross for bicyclists and pedestrians.

Thomas said Bike Cleveland’s report should be a resource for council members who can see a breakdown in crashes by ward and safety recommendations based on data the organization gathers.

Cleveland’s current Ward 3, which includes parts of Tremont, Ohio City and downtown, had the highest number of crashes in 2024 last year with 85 total and three fatalities. Ward 6, which includes the Buckeye neighborhood,  had  52 reported crashes, including eight involving children.

In the past, Thomas said,  reports of pedestrian and bicycle crashes in Cleveland have relied solely on a state-required crash report called an OH-1s. Those reports document who was involved and how the crash occurred. 

Bike Cleveland compared the state crash reports to Cleveland’s OpenData Portal, which reports all 911 calls and data from the city’s dispatch system. Bike Cleveland’s report found that fewer than half of the 911 calls for bike or pedestrian crashes resulted in an official state crash report. 

“This disparity is pretty shocking,” said Thomas. There are at least twice as many people getting hit in Cleveland than state reports show. 

According to Thomas, victims rely on the OH-1 state forms to take legal action and file insurance claims. Decision-makers use the same information to decide how to design the city’s streets. Without complete data, city planners may underestimate danger zones and misallocate safety interventions.

The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) and the Northeast Ohio Area Coordinating Agency (NOACA), major funding sources for local transportation projects, distribute resources based on documented crash patterns. If Cleveland underreports incidents, the city risks losing funding for safety projects that could prevent future crashes, Thomas said.

Angelo Trivisonno, who helped Bike Cleveland collect data, said many crash victims don’t report incidents. Police officers sometimes skip required crash reports when victims decline to file criminal complaints, he said. 

Requiring in-person reports also discourages victims. Trivisonno suggested allowing people to make those reports over the phone or online.  

Thomas said Cleveland doesn’t have the same resources dedicated to the issue as other Ohio cities. Cincinnati, for example, hired a public works crew dedicated to installing speed tables and traffic calming projects across the city. A higher staff capacity for traffic safety in Cleveland would accelerate the work needed to reduce crashes, she said.

Thomas called for clearer coordination between the  multiple police departments that operate in the city, so reporting responsibilities are clear and the same for all departments.