2025.IE22.4

Background

Adopted in 2016, the Vision Zero Road Safety Plan seeks to “ensure that the inevitable mistakes we all make as human beings do not result in the loss or significant alteration of anyone’s life due to potentially preventable collisions.” By reducing injuries and death for collision, the plan aims to make a safer space for people to walk in Toronto. By fostering a safer walking environment and encouraging pedestrian traffic, safety plans have the potential to reduce reliance on vehicles and higher emission transportation

Source: City of Toronto

Item Description

This item seeks a number of mechanisms to improve pedestrian crossing protection and safety from traffic including:

• The introduction of guiding policy that defines when pedestrian safety mechanisms should be constructed through the implementation of the Traffic Control Signal Justification Policy and the development of the Crosswalk Marking Policy and the All-Way Stop Sign Control Justification Policy
• The replacement of pedestrian crosswalks with “the installation of a traffic control signal at [...] existing pedestrian crossovers” throughout East Toronto and in other locations 
• The introduction of speed limit reductions, installation of traffic control signals, adjustment and improvements of community safety zones, basic cyclist accommodations, funding of school safety programs, and other responsive initiatives and plans aimed at increasing pedestrian safety

Source: City of Toronto

Proposed by

Infrastructure and Environment Committee

Additional Details

On behalf of Walk Toronto, Dylan Reid argued that “while these new measures introduce some welcome flexibility into the staff standards, they remain reliant on non-transparent staff judgements.”