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Spate of Pedestrian Deaths in GTA

AlvinofDiaspar said:
Even if you have reduced speed limits, it's only as good as consistent enforcement. We have a bazillion rules - none are particularly effective when breaking them is more the rule than the exception. What deterrence does rules against speeding have when a ticket can be contested to the umpteenth level and then thrown out due to backlog?
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It's true that enforcement is generally poor in Toronto but the majority of pedestrian deaths don't really involve speeding at all; just not paying attention. Impact from a slower moving vehicle is less likely to result in death (injuries for sure); in general after a blitz most drivers obey the law most of the time.

I'd like much stricter laws and automated enforcement but the general public isn't in favour of that; many are vocally against. If the current council goes too far they'll just get tossed and replaced with others who will roll it back plus some.

Hopefully we get it all worked out by the time I'm a senior. I think we're in for a real shit-show when the median boomer age is 75.
 
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This morning at Woodbine and Danforth. If only there had been a "Senior Safety Zone" here.

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I actually missed this article when it came out a week ago.

New numbers reveal 2016 was Toronto’s deadliest year for pedestrians in at least a decade
43 pedestrians were killed in the city this year, according to police statistics released to the Star. Almost 9 in 10 of victims were over the age of 55.
Ben Spurr, Toronto Star, 6 January 2017

"According to the police, in total there were 1,958 pedestrian collisions and 1,070 cyclist collisions reported last year."
 
Two senior pedestrians have died today. Neither of them were struck at an intersection that will be designated a "senior safety zone".
 
W. K. Lis said:
Anybody try "Albedo100 Reflective Spray"?
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That's kind of cool.

Of course, responsibility for avoiding pedestrian injuries and fatalities does not simply rest solely with pedestrians (not that WK Lis was suggesting otherwise). If a car fails to stop at an intersection or drives up onto the sidewalk, reflective spray is unlikely to help. And it doesn't help for those incidents which occur during the day.
 
This is a very good first step, although Toronto also really needs speed radar cameras at key locations (not on highways, which is a completely separate issue, but on streets). Also, this is probably the first time where I agree with CAA on a transportation issue.

More red-light cameras coming to Toronto
City set to expand program as data shows red-light infractions on the rise.
Ben Spurr, Toronto Star, 16 January 2017
 
Skeezix said:
This is a very good first step, although Toronto also really needs speed radar cameras at key locations (not on highways, which is a completely separate issue, but on streets). Also, this is probably the first time where I agree with CAA on a transportation issue.

More red-light cameras coming to Toronto
City set to expand program as data shows red-light infractions on the rise.
Ben Spurr, Toronto Star, 16 January 2017
Click to expand...

Exactly. Photo radar is the more effective and efficient enforcement regime; if you're not willing to undertake a city-wide redesign of your streets to physically dissuade speeding, then it's one of the more effective instruments left in the toolbox.
 
There are many good initiatives coming forward.

In my neck of the woods (East York area) I understand that channelized right-hand turns will be removed at Woodbine and O'Connor and St. Clair and O'Connor this year.

Haven't heard about Vic. Park/O'Connor which has long been a troubled intersection with fatalities.

I know there's some effort to modify Mortimer/Lumsden and Woodbine intersection to widen and better protect sidewalks.

***

If I were to highlight things I think are important in traffic safety, these are what I would go after (that is not currently being addressed).

- Much harsher crackdown on drunk driving, particularly repeat offenders, in the latter case, impound car for 90 days minimum (or length of license suspension).
- Relatedly, even .005 alcohol and the car is gone for 7 days on a first offense.

- Crackdown on repeat stunt driving (90 day car impound, automatic)

- At least force prospective drivers to watch a video/simulation specifically addressing cycling and pedestrian safety

***

- Truck side guards (mandatory)

- Reduce maximum truck length back to 48ft, the larger 53ft rigs can't navigate urban turning radii and an inordinate sight line obstruction.

- Consider making some sort of bright/reflective markings mandatory on winter jackets.

- Very selectively, construct new 2-lane (one each way) major roads, to allow six-lane configured roads to be reduced back to 4 lanes. The more lanes of moving traffic to cross
the more complex to navigate for pedestrians or even drivers approaching off side streets.

- Consider multiple changes to cross walk design, I believe that 'yellow' is intuitively the colour of caution to most drivers, not the colour of stop.
I think replacing cross walks with pedestrian activated conventional traffic lights, and/or a signal colour of red to clearly denote mandatory stopping.

- There needs to some re-think on what I call traffic-light litter (too many, too close), and speed humps, because they tend, in my experience not to promote slower driving
but stop and speed up as frustrated drivers seek to make up perceived lost time.
Consider narrowing road/lane width instead which tends to have a traffic calming affect and shortens crossing distances.

- Examine sidewalk lighting in areas where people are prone to mid-block crossing, such that pedestrians are visible before dashing out.
 
I noticed that a good chunk of Bloor east of Keele is now a 40 km/h zone. So is Dundas from the Junction heading east. Excellent!
 
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