KEESMAAT PUTS FORWARD BOLD PLAN FOR SAFE SCHOOL ZONES, SAFE INTERSECTIONS, AND SAFE NEIGHBOURHOODS

TORONTO – September 7, 2018: Today, Mayoral candidate Jennifer Keesmaat announced a comprehensive plan to make our streets safe across the city.

“There’s been no significant decrease in pedestrian and cyclist injuries and deaths during John Tory’s term and that is unacceptable,” Keesmaat said. “Tory has paid lip service to making our neighbourhoods safe for our children and seniors, but he has in reality done very little and only when pushed by concerned citizens or tragic events.”

Keesmaat laid out her plan to take action on road safety across the city with reduced speed limits and redesigned intersections and school zones:

Reduce the speed limit to 30km/h on all residential roads: “Right now we have a confusing patchwork of speed limits on our residential roads. We need to send a consistent message that cars must move more slowly on the streets where our children walk and play.”

“Right now we have a confusing patchwork of speed limits on our residential roads. We need to send a consistent message that cars must move more slowly on the streets where our children walk and play.” Transform Toronto’s 100 most dangerous intersections within two years: “By implementing design elements that are proven to make streets safer and are part of the City’s Complete Streets guidelines, we can make dangerous intersections safer for kids, seniors, and everyone.”

“By implementing design elements that are proven to make streets safer and are part of the City’s Complete Streets guidelines, we can make dangerous intersections safer for kids, seniors, and everyone.” Ensure areas around schools are safe by design within two years: “Signs and cameras aren’t enough to make the areas around our schools safe for our children. Within two years, the streets and sidewalks around our schools will be safe by design.”

“Signs and cameras aren’t enough to make the areas around our schools safe for our children. Within two years, the streets and sidewalks around our schools will be safe by design.” Make a “Vision Zero” approach a requirement of every infrastructure and development project involving roads and sidewalks: “Every new project must be built with the goal of zero pedestrian and cyclist fatalities on our streets.”

“It’s time to move beyond John Tory’s tepid, stop-gap approach to road safety,” said Keesmaat. “Instead of waiting for overwhelming public outcry and tragedies to hit, I’m going to work proactively with people in their neighbourhoods to make our city safe by design. I’ve laid out my priorities for my first two years in office and I won’t stop there. My goal is zero deaths on our roads.”

Read the backgrounder.

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