Stop carnage on our roads
It’s been two years since Mayor John Tory announced a “Vision Zero” initiative to reduce traffic deaths to zero by 2021. But so far the plan appears to have had zero impact.
As of May 16, when Douglas Crosbie was tragically killed while riding his bike to work, 17 pedestrians and cyclists had been killed this year. That total puts the city on the same track as it was in May 2016, the city’s deadliest year, when 43 pedestrians and one cyclist were killed.
The deaths occurred even though the city committed $90 million over five years to the initiative to pay for everything from new lower speed limit signs, to “zebra markings” in school safety zones, to senior safety zones to new bicycle lanes in an attempt to reach the zero goal. Clearly that isn’t enough. What’s needed is a complete U-turn in political and public attitudes about driving and the place of cars in this city. Let’s start with driving. As Tory said earlier this year: “It’s up to the people who drive cars in this city to take the first responsibility by changing their behaviour.”
That’s a good point. But so far public education has focused too much on lecturing pedestrians and too little on educating drivers.
Indeed, a one-week safety blitz launched by Toronto police earlier this year featured four online videos, three of which focused on pedestrian behaviour. That’s despite the fact that two-thirds of pedestrian injuries in this city are the result of driver error.
If the-car-is-king attitudes are to change, governments must focus as much money and energy as they successfully did on changing public behaviour on drinking and driving.
Happily, changes to the provincial Highway Traffic Act, due to take effect in September, could be the first step in achieving just that if the next government keeps up the effort put into it by the current Liberals.
The amendments Transportation Minister Steven Del Duca introduced create a new offence of careless driving causing death or bodily harm with a maximum penalty of a $50,000 fine, up to two years in jail and a licence suspension of up to five years. That’s up dramatically from the current maximum fine of $2,000, six months in jail and a suspension of up to two years.
The changes also compel those charged to appear in court, rather than just mailing in a fine.
The NDP are focused on changing driver behaviour, too. Though it didn’t pass, the party’s proposed “Protecting Vulnerable Road Users Act” would have suspended a guilty driver’s licence while they were on probation and required them to take a driving instruction course and perform community service. Drivers would also be required to attend court to hear victim impact statements.
Those are helpful steps. Now it’s time to rethink the place of cars in the city. And that will require the city to do more than just paint stripes on existing roadways. It must address the tough issue of road design, which has traditionally focused on moving vehicles as quickly as possible rather than ensuring the safety of all.
Consider this year’s outrageous battle over a sensible plan that would have reduced Yonge St. from six lanes to four between Sheppard and Finch in order to widen sidewalks and build separated bike lanes. If it had passed, it would have signalled where the city stood on road safety — and city livability. But it was put on hold after a rancorous debate, including input from PC Leader Doug Ford who described it as a “war on the car.” Even Tory didn’t support it. That’s more than too bad. It’s dangerous. If Vision Zero is to be anything more than a campaign slogan, politicians must stop trying to curry votes from drivers who want six-lane thoroughfares and high speed limits and focus on making the city safe for pedestrians and cyclists, too. It’s a matter of life and death.