Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson advocated for public safety and minimal government interference at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, as part of a panel discussion on urban traffic concerns.
On Thursday, the “Decongesting Cities” panel discussed vehicle delivery services in urban environments and the issues they can cause, such as traffic congestion, including potential solutions.
Mayor Johnson spoke alongside three other panelists: Sriharsha Majety, founder and CEO of Indian food delivery service Swiggy; Jane Burston, founder and CEO of the Clean Air Fund; and Helena Leurent, director general for Consumers International.
While much of the discussion focused on the environmental effects of delivery services, Johnson was the only panelist to highlight public safety as a key concern.
Johnson also maintained that policies tackling vehicle deliveries, whether they be focused on the environment or traffic congestion, should be driven by the interests of the people rather than the agendas of government actors.
“Dallas has been pretty successful as a city … [because] in Dallas, we view our residents and we view our businesses as the stars of the show. The government is not the star of the show,” Johnson said. “We’re there to try to facilitate things and just try to stay out of the way as much as possible. That’s my governing philosophy, and I think that’s been the real key to our success.”
Johnson added that government initiatives should not impede the freedoms and wishes of Dallas residents.
“We really want to make sure that folks who live in our city [and] folks who are visiting our city and our businesses are allowed to live their lives the way they want to,” he said. “Apparently, this change in consumer behavior is what people want. So we don’t want to impede it in any way, but we do have a responsibility to our residents. And the number one responsibility is always going to be public safety. It’s always going to be keeping people safe.”
Johnson said the City must ensure that the “new reality” of the prevalence of delivery services does not make Dallas more dangerous for pedestrians, cyclists, and other drivers.
“We want to make sure that this change in consumer behavior doesn’t impact safety in really negative ways. And so, that’s our primary concern.”
Johnson also said that Dallas is paying attention to how vehicle deliveries impact its residents’ general quality of life. He affirmed concerns about the environmental impact of delivery services, citing the Comprehensive Environmental & Climate Action Plan (CECAP) created in 2020.
While Johnson said the will of the people should not be impeded, other panelists discussed how to incentivize and convince residents to align their lifestyles with the environmental agendas of government actors.
“Can we change consumer behavior?” asked Helena Leurent, who moderated the discussion.
Jane Burston, from the United Kingdom, mentioned that London Mayor Sadiq Khan instituted “clean air zones” to reduce air pollution and address “equity considerations.”
Under this policy, drivers whose vehicles do not meet “ultra-low emission zone” standards are charged £12.50 ($15.87) per day to drive within the zone.
Burston noted that there was “pushback” from residents when the clean air zones were expanded to Greater London but claimed those who opposed the policy did so, in part, to “antagonize.”
“The ones in the outer ring of [Greater London], by and large, vote for a different political party than the mayor’s,” she said. Mayor Khan is a member of the Labour Party, which has been described as “an alliance of social democrats, democratic socialists, and trade unionists.”
Dallas’ CECAP has a section on clean air, but it specifies that its air quality initiatives pertaining to the general population that exceed the national standard are non-regulatory.
During the panel discussion, Johnson said he was impressed by the use of public infrastructure technology in Dijon, France, which he visited last year, as previously covered by The Dallas Express.
“It’s a lot of smart technology — traffic signals and the like,” he said. “I do believe that [is] a big part of being able to not only provide a safer experience for folks who are using the roadways but also one that reduces congestion and reduces emissions and makes it a more environmentally friendly city.”
Despite Johnson being at the World Economic Forum this week, the Dallas City Council will hold a special-called meeting on the 2024 Bond Program this Friday in his absence at the request of three specific council members, as reported by The Dallas Express.