[ADRM]

By midnight I heard that that number grew to 27 pedestrians, including 2 deaths and 3 cyclists.

That is true. Bigger than an NHL roster in one day.

 

[Red October]

Denzil Minnan-Wong is Rob Ford Version 3.0.

He's if you took Rob Ford and combined it with that guy who always thinks he's the smartest person in the room at all times.

 

[steveintoronto]

By midnight I heard that that number grew to 27 pedestrians, including 2 deaths and 3 cyclists.

Holy moly...

In all fairness, visibility is poor, but dammit, that's all the more reason for motorists to slow down, not get frantic.

 

[ADRM]

Holy moly...

In all fairness, visibility is poor, but dammit, that's all the more reason for motorists to slow down, not get frantic.

It's also the ultimate proof in the pudding of the need for a holistic redesign of our streets and enforcement.

 

[W. K. Lis]

Wide corners mean faster speeds for turning automobiles. A tighter corner may help to slow down turning automobiles.

See link.

 

[ADRM]

Wide corners mean faster speeds for turning automobiles. A tighter corner may help to slow down turning automobiles.

The city's done a good job with speed-limiting design in some very select parts of the city, but those efforts have been very limited and largely local councillor- and interest group-driven.

The most obvious and one of the most successful that comes to mind is Barton from Christie to Bathurst. There, there's a combination of bump-outs (both mid-block and at intersections), pedestrian barriers, speed bumps, and for whatever it's worth (not much IMO) 30km/h speed limits. It's legitimately difficult to drive quickly through that section, and that's how it should be.

 

[salsa]

The mayor and Councillor Robinson released a statement regarding the recent road deaths. If they are sincere, they might speed up or contribute more funding to the road safety plan. And you might also have to put up with another crass "wear bright clothing" education campaign.

 

[ADRM]

The mayor and Councillor Robinson released a statement regarding the recent road deaths. If they are sincere, they might speed up or contribute more funding to the road safety plan. And you might also have to put up with another crass "wear bright clothing" education campaign.

View attachment 93634

...in other words, nothing that will actually make a demonstrable difference.

 

[steveintoronto]

...in other words, nothing that will actually make a demonstrable difference.

You know, "more signs" is akin to those "Baby on Board" signs in the back windows of some cars (mostly SUVs). If anyone cares, they'll already be driving carefully. For those who the signs are really meant for, they're not taking any notice...

And btw, many of the drivers with those signs in their backwindows should follow their own advice. I've been sharply cut-off by a couple of them lately. They don't look before changing lanes.

Signs don't work...

 

[ADRM]

Signs and paint don't a safe city make.

 

[muller877]

DMW just tweeted out his committee recommendations, and it's pretty much the worst possible outcome for vulnerable road users in Toronto. Look for every bike lane in the city to be systematically ripped out, no new ones implemented, and more pedestrians and cyclists to die or be maimed because of the composition of this committee:

I 100% agree that there is not enough safety for pedestrians in Toronto. Of the 42 collisions per the Toronto Star report:
- 15 were pedestrians
- 1 was a bike
- 26 were cars

https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2016/12/07/15-pedestrians-hit-in-one-day-toronto-police-say.html

This 2.3% of collisions happening with bikes is statistically not significantly different than the percentage of trips on bikes in Toronto. So this one collision does not create a statistical reason for more bike lanes.

We 100% need more concern about pedestrians. Much higher than the Toronto average of trips per user. In Europe (where everyone points to as an example) this is done with better pedestrian crossing but also stricter controls on where pedestrians cross (e.g. fences) and they strictly enforce no crossing areas and fine pedestrians who endanger themselves. These are key to managing the risk of injury.

 

[ADRM]

I 100% agree that there is not enough safety for pedestrians in Toronto. Of the 42 collisions per the Toronto Star report:
- 15 were pedestrians
- 1 was a bike
- 26 were cars

https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2016/12/07/15-pedestrians-hit-in-one-day-toronto-police-say.html

This 2.3% of collisions happening with bikes is statistically not significantly different than the percentage of trips on bikes in Toronto. So this one collision does not create a statistical reason for more bike lanes.

We 100% need more concern about pedestrians. Much higher than the Toronto average of trips per user. In Europe (where everyone points to as an example) this is done with better pedestrian crossing but also stricter controls on where pedestrians cross (e.g. fences) and they strictly enforce no crossing areas and fine pedestrians who endanger themselves. These are key to managing the risk of injury.

Using *one* day on which to base such an assessment is laughably misguided.

Hundreds of cyclists are hit by motorists in this city every year and that's a massive problem as well. There's simply no denying that.

 

[steveintoronto]

Using *one* day on which to base such an assessment is laughably misguided.

Hundreds of cyclists are hit by motorists in this city every year and that's a massive problem as well. There's simply no denying that.

I kind of wondered what muller's point was too.

Here's a longer perspective also from TorStar:

More than 1,000 cyclists and pedestrians hit on Toronto streets since June 1


New statistics show vulnerable road users struck at a rate of one every two and a half hours.

By Ben SpurrTransportation Reporter
Fri., Sept. 23, 2016
It’s been a bad summer for pedestrians and cyclists in Toronto.

According to statistics from the Toronto police, 542 pedestrians and 541 bikers have been hit by cars since June 1. The 1,083 collisions works out to 9.5 crashes every day, or one every 2.5 hours, and represents an increase over last year, when there were 999 cyclist and pedestrian collisions over the same period.

The stats were posted online Thursday by Kyle Miller, an urban planner who has been tracking pedestrian and cyclist collisions through the Toronto police Twitter account. But he discovered that the tweets were only the tip of the iceberg when a police officer reached out to him this week and provided the complete stats. It turned out that the police account was only tweeting out about one third of collisions.

Miller said the new numbers show that pedestrian and cyclist collisions are “a serious health issue that we should be doing something about.”

“If we had 10 people mugged a day, or 10 people shot, stabbed (there would be a bigger outcry)” he said. “But violence on the road has been so normalized, it’s not even news anymore.”

Miller knows how it feels to be hit by a car. The 29-year-old regularly cycles to his office downtown, and on Sept. 8 he was sideswiped by driver who he said didn’t signal before turning into his path.

Miller escaped the crash, which occurred on Queen St. W. in front of city hall, with only bruises to his elbow and forearm. But he said that many others aren’t so lucky.

“Some people have their lives permanently changed or affected by the collisions they’re involved with,” Miller said.

“We never hear about these, so I’m trying to give a voice to these people.”

According to police, 11 pedestrians and one cyclist were killed in the 1,083 collisions since June 1. Last year, 39 pedestrians and four cyclists died in crashes.

Const. Clint Stibbe, who gave the statistics to Miller, said that the police don’t tweet out all collisions, but major crashes, particularly if they affect public safety or traffic, are posted. He urged road users to “take a larger role in their safety, which includes following the rules that are currently in place.”

“When a driver makes a decision on their own and assesses the amount of risk they are facing and decides to take that risk, and the drivers’ action results in the injury or death of a pedestrian or a cyclist, (that) cannot be accepted as the norm,” Stibbe said. “Drivers can do better, they must do better.”

How to protect vulnerable road users became a hot topic at city hall in June, when the city put forward a new road safety plan.

The original version of the plan set a target of reducing serious collisions by 20 per cent over 10 years, a goal that was panned by pedestrian and cycling advocates who argued that one fatality was too many. Under public pressure, the plan was revised to set a target of eliminating serious collisions altogether, and in July council voted to increase the plan’s budget from $68.1 million to $80.3 million over five years.

Public Works Chair Councillor Jaye Robinson (Ward 25, Don Valley West) said she has been meeting with city staff over the summer in order to work on the swift implementation of the plan, which includes the creation of “pedestrian safety corridors” in areas that have seen a high volume of serious collisions.

The city is in the process of appointing a new general manager of transportation, and Robinson, who is participating in the hiring process, said she wanted to ensure whoever gets the job is committed to implementing the safety plan “absolutely as aggressively as possible.” She called this summer’s collisions statistics “alarming” and “almost unbelievable.”

“Clearly with these kind of stats we need to move on this issue,” she said.

By the numbers

1165 — pedestrian collisions in Toronto in 2015

65 — motorists, cyclists, and pedestrians killed in 2015, an 11-year high

55.4% — amount by which serious non-fatal injuries to pedestrians have declined since 2005

34% — amount by which pedestrian fatalities have increased since 2005

14% — percentage of serious and fatal collisions involving cyclists

1.7% — percentage of Torontonians who ride their bike to work

37.6% — amount by which all serious and fatal road accidents have declined since 2005

Source: Toronto Police, City of Toronto, 2006 Census

https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/tr...ians-hit-on-toronto-streets-since-june-1.html

Note that stat is from 2006. Metro Police have recently agreed that the number of cyclists being hit is multiples more than that, but just not reported in such a way as to appear previously in the statistics. In the event, this isn't a case of 'who's getting hit the most'. It's a case of pedestrians and cyclists alike getting mowed down at a rate *multiples* of what it is in other nations.

It's just unacceptable.

Edit to Add:

I was shocked delving the background of this case today:
http://us8.campaign-archive2.com/?u=1e25cde82be2dad07ea01dd20&id=326127fd93&e=e33a787b6d

 

[steveintoronto]

Today's Guelph Mercury-Tribune:

Guelph councillors take note: the happiest drivers live in cities that invest in cycling infrastructure
Community Editorial Board

Bike box
Guelph Mercury file photo
A cyclist waits in the city's first bike box at the intersection of Chancellor's Way and Stone Road in 2012.
Guelph Mercury
By Patrick Sheridan
A recent survey of drivers from around the world found that Holland has the happiest drivers. It may sound a bit odd to many Canadians that a nation with more bicycles than people would also have a great driving experience. To those who often see conflict between bikes and cars, the image of a place where bicycles are everywhere may conjure thoughts of anything but a blissful experience.

The Dutch, however, known for their ingenuity and practical nature, have become masters of multimodal efficiency.

The Netherlands has developed an effective transportation system that accommodates a variety of transportation modes. In Dutch cities like Amsterdam and Groningen, more people cycle than drive a car. In Groningen, a city of 200,000, more than half of daily trips are taken by bicycle.

That doesn’t mean there are no cars in Holland, there are eight million. Which works out to about 50% car ownership, compared with Canada where car ownership is 67%. But the 22 million bikes in the country are still the most common form of transportation, with more trips taken by bike than any other travel mode. But in what might seem like a paradox, the Dutch travel most of their kilometres by car.

So how does that work? Well, short trips under 5kms – the most common travel distance for the Dutch, or Canadians for that matter – are typically made by bike or walking. When longer distances are desired they may bike but more often drive or take public transportation.

Many people believe that cycling is simply a cultural thing for the Dutch, but to maintain that culture, in a world of increasing car use, equitable transportation policies had to be actively pursued.

After the Second World War, car ownership grew rapidly in The Netherlands. With increased car ownership came a drastic rise in cycling fatalities, with children disproportionately the victims. The Dutch pushed back, there were demonstrations and the government got on board.

What has developed since is based in culture but is the result of investments in research, design, legislation and implementing infrastructure that maximizes the efficiency and safety of the bicycle.

The answer to the question of whether we should invest in cycling infrastructure that works isn’t simply a moral one, though. It is also a question of prudent urban resource management.

Vehicles are expensive, as is the infrastructure they require, and work optimally over long distances. Bicycles are well suited to many people’s everyday lives where short distances are the norm. Cycling infrastructure is also significantly cheaper than that for automobiles.

By looking to the experience of those who have been successful in diversifying their transportation systems, we can learn how to move more people at lower cost and improve safety outcomes.

Cycling can be a major transportation segment in our city, and those who bike will gain the health and economic advantages that a low-impact, low-cost, high-versatility, self-propelled mode of transportation provides.

Not everyone will bike though, and that’s okay. Those who don’t cycle also win when we provide world-class cycling infrastructure, because more cyclists mean less traffic congestion, more open parking spots, less road conflict, improved road safety outcomes and less tax pressure. These benefits, not to mention all that biking, have helped make the Dutch the happiest drivers in the world.

To learn more about the Dutch cycling experience, attend Lessons from Amsterdam, a presentation and discussion led by Cycle Hamilton’s Benita Van Miltenburg. The event is hosted by Guelph Bikes on Tuesday Dec. 13 at The Ebar from 7-10 p.m.


A Guelph resident for 20 years, my passion for cycling and background in health research has led me to become an advocate for improvements in local cycling infrastructure.

http://www.guelphmercury.com/opinio...in-cities-that-invest-in-cycling-infrastruct/

 

[salsa]

Today's Guelph Mercury-Tribune:

Guelph councillors take note: the happiest drivers live in cities that invest in cycling infrastructure

http://www.guelphmercury.com/opinio...in-cities-that-invest-in-cycling-infrastruct/

It also helps that those "happy" cities are not overcrowded metropolises full of frustrated commuters who are always in a hurry.