Category: Latest Issues

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.

• Read the FFSS/Walk Toronto open letter on default speed limits (PDF)

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.

• Read Walk Toronto’s detailed submission on sidewalk cycling (PDF)

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.

• Read Walk Toronto’s comments on Vision Zero 2.0 (PDF)

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.

• Read Walk Toronto’s submission on Bill 107

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.

• Safer Streets website
• Bill 62

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.

• Read Walk Toronto’s submission to the IEC about the regulation of e-scooters (PDF)
• See the IEC agenda item

Walk Toronto submitted written comments to the Toronto Accessibility Advisory Committee for its meeting on April 11, 2019 regarding the
Accessibility Review of On-street Bikeway Design Guidelines.

Walk Toronto noted the importance of providing accessible lay-by options in bikeways, recommended that signs instructing cyclists to yield
to pedestrians be mandatory at these locations, and recommended that lay-by locations also be provided on side streets.

• Read the full Walk Toronto written comments (PDF)
• See the agenda item

Walk Toronto was asked to comment on the draft Leaside Traffic Calming Plan (PDF), prepared by the Leaside Property Owners’ Association.

Walk Toronto’s Dylan Reid and Michael Black prepared comments on the plan and submitted them to the association. Overall, the authors were impressed by the plan and excited for it to become a model for neighbourhoods across Toronto, but they also had some suggestions for ways to improve it even more.

• Read Walk Toronto’s comments on the Leaside Traffic Calming Plan (Word)

On Wednesday, March 6, 2019, Walk Toronto submitted comments and deputed in person at the Economic and Community Development Committee regarding the Harmonized By-law and Fees for Sidewalk Cafés, Parklets and Marketing Displays.

The comments were written by Daniella Levy-Pinto with input from Vivien Leong and Michael Black, and the deputation was presented in person by Michael Black.

Walk Toronto’s deputation supported the harmonized by-law but proposed some amendments to improve accessibility and accountability, proposals that were also made by other accessibility advocates who deputed. The harmonized by-law was passed, along with amendments that addressed some of the concerns and proposals raised by Walk Toronto and other groups.

• Read Walk Toronto’s Comments (PDF)

Quote:

Walk Toronto supports City staff recommendations for the proposed Harmonized By-law and Fees for Sidewalk Cafés, Parklets and Marketing Displays. Although these changes are not perfect, we commend City staff for their efforts in striking a balance between maintaining the street vibrancy provided by sidewalk cafés, and improving accessibility for pedestrians. We believe that the harmonized by-law adheres to Complete Streets principles, treating sidewalk users, businesses and their patrons equitably.

Walk Toronto has co-signed a letter from multiple community groups to Mayor Tory, members of the Striking Committee, and all of Toronto City Council asking that all of the four newly merged Standing Committees of City Council include at least one member from each of the four Community Council areas (Etobicoke-York, North York, Toronto-East York, Scarborough).

In the second half of the previous council term, there was no representative from Toronto-East York on the Public Works and Infrastructure committee, responsible for transportation, even though many critical transportation issues affected this part of the city.

• Read the Joint Letter to Mayor Tory, Striking Committee, and City Council re Standing Committee Composition, Dec 10 2019 (PDF)