Last week, Walk Toronto’s Lee Scott wrote to City of Toronto staff to share examples of dangerous construction zones recently experienced by Walk Toronto steering committee members, in order to accentuate the need for rapid action to make construction zones safer for pedestrians and cyclists. Below is the text and images of the examples.
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Hello *****,
At the Walk Toronto meeting last Monday, we were reviewing the work that has been done by Transportation Services to address the very real danger to pedestrians making their way through a city pock-marked with construction sites. We appreciate your efforts to involve us and other organizations in the workshops you have held, to listen to vulnerable road users, and to encourage a change in culture.
Still, we want to express our deep concern that things are moving too slowly on the ground. There are too many construction zones where navigation feels life-threatening.
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The attached photos were taken in the last few weeks by just two of us walking the streets of Toronto. Imagine if we asked every pedestrian in Toronto to take a photo of their sidewalk, trail, and intersection experiences with construction?
This photo below taken on Queen, east of University. Dangerous path and unclear messaging. (Incidentally,…back in December on the opposite side of Queen I walked into a the base of a construction cone that was bolted to the middle of the sidewalk for no apparent reason. Hitting it with one foot, the cone spun around to hit the back of my other foot. That cone probably caused someone, at some point, to fall.)
This photo below taken at NW corner of Castlefield and Yonge in early January. This “walkway” was a slipway. Plywood covered what had been sidewalk. All it took was a light snowfall to make this surface completely treacherous for pedestrians.
The photo below on Sheppard Avenue West (east side looking north) just south of Kodiak, taken last Sunday. Vehicles easily drive along here 20-30k over the speed limit…frankly…terrifying as a pedestrian.
The photo below…rerouting of Martin Goodman Trail at Ontario Place. While the jersey barrier is better than cones…again, vehicles travel along here at much higher speeds than posted limit. One question: what about reduced speed limit around these construction zones? Also, this narrow detour will be entirely insufficient the minute good weather happens and people return to the Martin Goodman Trail.
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Again, these four sites are just a sample from two of us.
