Jamestown officials are considering adoption of a program called “Vision Zero” to eliminate car-pedestrian accidents.

There is nothing wrong with the program — which has indeed worked to decrease pedestrian accidents in many cities. But Jamestown officials and city residents shouldn’t be lulled into the false belief that simply adopting Vision Zero will miraculously fix the problem.

Dozens of cities across the country have adopted Vision Zero, but Jamestown would be the first city outside of New York City to do so in New York, according to vizionzeronetwork.org. In some of those cities, Vision Zero has been criticized by some as just a hashtag (Washington, D.C., Council member Charles Allen) while the Los Angeles Times editorial board has termed Los Angeles’ experience with Vision Zero as a punchline and a letdown.

In both major cities’ cases, however, the issues with Vision Zero had as much to do with an inability to enact legislative change that aligned state or local ordinances with Vision Zero principles.

And therein lies the rub with things like Vision Zero or Complete Streets. Unless funding is available, little will change. Unless there is a coordinated effort among local, state and federal transportion authorities, little will change. And unless local residents choose to buy in — and that means drivers, walkers and bikers — little will change.

That’s not to say Jamestown shouldn’t consider Vision Zero. But, in our opinion, Vision Zero is only as useful as we allow it to be.