Walk Toronto’s Sean Marshall gave at deputation at the Toronto Police Services Board on Nov. 21, 2019 about about the lack of enforcement of traffic laws in Toronto and the proposal to reinstate a small traffic enforcement team.
Sean writes, “I spoke to express our disappointment of how the TPS completely failed vulnerable road users by not engaging in meaningful traffic enforcement and calling for a return to making this a priority.”
Walk Toronto submitted written comments on two items at the October 17 meeting of the City of Toronto’s Infrastructure and Environment Committee (IEC).
The first communication, written by Daniella Levy-Pinto with contributions from Michael Black, addressed the Winter Maintenance Program Review, which was commissioned in response to the lack of sidewalk snow plowing and other issues brought to light during the winter months of 2019.
While the Review promises some useful first steps in expanding sidewalk snow clearing to areas where it is currently lacking, Walk Toronto’s letter emphasizes the need for stronger steps that lead to comprehensive, harmonized levels of service for sidewalk snow clearing in all parts of the city.
The second communication, written by Dylan Reid, addressed the staff Update on Council Requested Road Safety Initiatives, specifically the staff response to Walk Toronto’s recommendation, adopted for study by the IEC at an earlier meeting, that the City adopt a policy that there should be a safe road crossing at all TTC stops.
The staff report (PDF, pp. 4-6), while noting that there are an astonishing 2,700 TTC transit stops at locations without traffic control, rejects this policy proposal and largely claims that existing measures are sufficient to address safety needs. Walk Toronto argues to the contrary that “In a city that claims to be committed to Vision Zero, identifying this large number of dangerous stops is surely a call to action, not an excuse for inaction.”
In response to a call from the Government of Ontario for comments regarding kick-style electric scooters (e-scooters), Walk Toronto submitted comments to the Province regarding this issue, prepared by Walk Toronto steering committee member Judith Kidd.
Walk Toronto’s recommendations were concerned with ensuring safety for pedestrians:
1. Prohibit e-scooters on sidewalks;
2. Reduce the power from 500W motors, the speed from 32km/h, and the weight from 45 kg. Speeds should be restricted to 25 km/hr or lower to make their speed more comparable with bicycles and other devices that use bike lanes;
3. Require devices to be audible when ridden so that others sharing the road are aware of their presence;
4. Minimum operating age should be 18, in line with other jurisdictions that permit e-scooters;
5. Ensure that e-scooters cannot be left loose on the sidewalk, but rather are required to have designated docking stations. We are opposed to any system where riders can leave a scooter in any location. It is dangerous for people who are visually impaired or blind.
6. Explore the need for liability insurance in the case of collisions with cyclists or pedestrians.
7. Explore the addition of regulations regarding distracted operation of e-scooters .
Walk Toronto has joined Friends and Families for Safe Streets in calling for the City of Toronto’s Vision Zero 2.0 plan to include a reduction in the default speed limit on arterial streets to 40 km/hr and on local streets to 30 km/hr.
Nearly all serious injuries and deaths (83%) happen on arterial roads. We know that when adriver hits a pedestrian at 50 km/h, there is an 85% likelihood that the impact will kill thepedestrian. The fatality rate falls to 30% at speeds of 40 km/h. Not only does lowering the speedlimit to 40 km/h drastically improve someone’s chances of surviving a collision, but driving at alower speed can help avoid collisions entirely.
Walk Toronto has written to Toronto City Council to ask it to reject a proposal being presented to City Council to study legalizing adult cycling on sidewalks on some suburban arterial roads.
Walk Toronto argues that cycling on sidewalks introduces a new set of collision risks for both cyclists and pedestrians. Legalizing bicycle riding on sidewalks will make sidewalks less safe, attractive and convenient for pedestrians. The best solution is to build safe, separated bike lanes on suburban arterial roads. Walk Toronto’s submission goes into a detailed discussion of the issues involved.
Please join Walk Toronto during Open Streets 2019, on Sunday August 18 and Sunday September 15, for a walk up Yonge Street to discuss its history, its potential transformation into a pedestrian-oriented street, and various other pedestrian issues.
The walk will be led by Sean Marshal and other members of Walk Toronto’s steering committee. The walk will take approximately 2 hours.
Dates: Sunday August 18 and Sunday September 15, 2019
Time: Meet at 11:00 am
Meeting Point: South of Yonge and Shuter Streets, near the Elgin Theatre
New residential and commercial developments are bringing many more people downtown, and many of those people walk, cycle, or take transit, rather than drive. Yonge Street, despite the crowds, was designed for drivers, rather than the majority of users, but now there is an opportunity to change that situation with the City of Toronto’s Yonge TOmorrow initiative.
Walk Toronto presented written comments and deputed in person regarding the Vision Zero 2.0 traffic safety plan presented by City of Toronto Transportation Services at the Infrastructure and Environment Committee on June 27, 2019.
Overall, Walk Toronto was supportive of the plan, which is much more substantial than the previous plan presented by the City in 2016, but noted that it still fell short of a systematic and comprehensive Vision Zero strategy.
Several of Walk Toronto’s allies in the #BuildTheVision coalition also deputed in the same vein, including The Centre for Active Transportation, 8-80 Cities, Friends and Families for Safe Streets, and Cycle Toronto.
Walk Toronto proposed one amendment — that the City adopt a policy of having a controlled crossing at all TTC stops — and a modified version of this amendment was presented by Councillor Mike Layton and adopted by the committee. The amendment reads as follows:
City Council request the General Manager, Transportation Services to review the opportunity for a policy that all TTC stops be provided with a controlled crossing in the immediate vicinity working in consultation with the TTC to ensure that this policy does not reduce the number of TTC stops, and report to the Infrastructure and Environment Committee in third quarter of 2019.
The written comments were prepared by Daniella Levy-Pinto and the deputation was made by Dylan Reid.
Walk Toronto’s Daniella Levy-Pinto spoke to the Ontario Legislature’s Standing Committee on General Government on May 21, 2019 about Bill 107, Getting Ontario Moving Act (Transportation Statute Law Amendment), 2019.
Walk Toronto, along with other members of the Vulnerable Road Users Coalition, urged the committee to amend the act to include specific protections for vulnerable road users. The act is a rare opportunity to incorporate these protections into Ontario law without having to go through the process of presenting and passing a separate bill.
Daniella also submitted written comments to the committee based on her presentation on behalf of Walk Toronto.
Walk Toronto is part of the Safer Streets coalition. This group is working to pass Bill 62, a private member’s bill in the Ontario legislature that calls for stronger action against drivers who, while breaking an existing driving law, kill or injure a vulnerable road user.
It would require these drivers to:
– take a driving instruction course
– perform community service related to improving driving safety
– have their driver’s license suspended
– attend the sentencing hearing
Currently, drivers who break a driving law and kill or hurt a pedestrian or cyclist as a result usually just face a fairly small fine for the driving offence.
Walk Toronto submitted a written deputation regarding proposed regulations of e-scooters to the Infrastructure and Environment Committee, which discussed the issue on April 25, 2019.
Walk Toronto is pleased the IEC is addressing this issue. Walk Toronto welcomes new non-polluting transportation technology, but has concerns about electric scooters being used on sidewalks, and left on sidewalks in ways that block the pedestrian clearway.
