Case Study
Together for Safer Roads
New York, New York
The Challenge
Most commercial trucks operating on city streets have blind zones that can make pedestrians, cyclists, and children invisible to drivers. This creates dangerous road conditions, putting undue stress on both drivers and vulnerable road users. Trucking companies have the desire to purchase and operate safer trucks, but didn’t have the tools to make the right buying decisions.
Our Approach:
Think + Make + Do
Gathering Insights
To better understand the impact of blind zones created by trucks, we literally took a front row seat and rode along with five commercial truck operators in New York and Boston. We picked up trash with a national collection company in the narrow streets of Boston’s North End, and hauled asphalt through Queens with long tenured New York City fleet drivers. Seeing the problem from the perspective of a driver allowed us to build a solution that worked for them too - not just their bosses. In tandem, we talked to more than 20 fleet operators across the country to understand the existing process for buying trucks and the pain points that could be alleviated by a better solution.
Prototyping
After these ride alongs and research interviews, Cities Reimagined convened a group of 25 truck drivers, fleet managers, policy makers, and road safety experts to develop the first American direct vision rating system. Using the insights from the drivers and the lived experience of the people in the room, we prototyped a system that would assign a star rating to a truck based on the size of the blind zones. We used a Rapid Prototyping Sprint to generate this solution in just six hours.
Testing + Iterating
In the following weeks, Cities Reimagined created a measurement kit that was mailed to 20 fleets across the country that included all of the tools to measure and rate the trucks in their fleets. A simple instruction manual was included, guiding the recipients through a 15 minute measurement exercise.
The Results
New safety information available to fleet managers to inform buying decisions.
A simple rating system to help companies make smarter choices about vehicle purchases.
A scalable methodology to measure and rate the safety of any fleet in the U.S.
Peter Goldwasser, Executive Director
At our heart, Together for Safer Roads is a network of diverse companies and cities all working together to improve road safety. As part of work, it's critical that our programs are created in such a way that multiple voices, perspectives and interests need to come to the table and be heard. Alex and the whole Cities Reimagined team has been a steadfast partner for us in this work, creating and executing complex user-centered projects that not only deliver on our mission, but do so in a way that empowers all participants. Smart. Efficient. Responsive. And most importantly, kind.