Toronto’s Vision Zero Road Safety Plan (2017-2021)

Zero fatalities and serious injuries on Toronto’s streets

“Eliminate all fatalities and serious injuries on city streets to create a safe and healthy city” (City of Toronto, 2016, p. 10).

Shared responsibility for greater success

Acknowledging the rise in traffic-related fatalities, the City of Toronto developed Toronto’s Vision Zero Road Safety Plan: a five-year (2017-2021) action plan focused on improving safety and eliminating traffic-related fatalities and serious injuries. The plan uses data to identify areas where improvements are needed most, and sets a clear goal to reduce fatal and serious injury collisions by 20% by 2026” (City of Toronto, 2016, p. 11). Improvements span engineering, education and enforcement.  With over 50 safety measures across six categories (pedestrians, school children, older adults, cyclists, and aggressive driving and distraction), the Plan prioritizes the safety of Toronto’s most vulnerable road users.

Toronto’s Road Safety Plan (RSP) creates shared responsibility and commitment of all agencies that work in road safety, together tasked with prioritizing new actions and investments.  Involvement is maintained in part through quarterly meetings.  

The RSP responds to “a number of City Council and Public Works and Infrastructure Committee motions linked to road safety, including the expansion of the ‘Watch Your Speed’ pilot program in school zones, an investigation of requirements for expanding automated enforcement, a review of posted speed limits, the development of a user-friendly traffic calming guide, and the identification of safety improvements for school children, older pedestrians and persons with disabilities” (City of Toronto, 2016, p. 1).

Measurable outcomes showing consistent results

Better evaluation and monitoring systems was a priority tasked to Transportation Services. As a result,  one year after the RSP began, the City of Toronto can report a number of successes. The page Vision Zero Updates provides a comprehensive list of accomplishments for 2018. Many initiatives met their targets including the Active and Safe Routes to School Pilot, Watch Your Speed program, Senior Safety Zones, and Leading Pedestrian Intervals. The City of Toronto achieved their year-end target of creating 91 segments of speed humps and 80 Leading Pedestrian Intervals. Speed humps discourage motor vehicle drivers from travelling at excessive speeds, while Leading Pedestrian Intervals give pedestrians a head start into an intersection to improve their visibility. Finally, the Vision Zero Mapping Tool provides a better way of understanding the information and measuring the progress of the RSP vision by displaying collision data and where safety measures have been put in place.

Way to save lives, Toronto!