Torontonians overwhelmingly support lower speed limits, photo radar to force motorists to slow down, and more bike lanes, a new poll has found.

But the Campaign Research survey conducted for the Star found that most people were unaware of Mayor John Tory’s five-year $100-million Vision Zero road safety push to eliminate deaths and serious injuries on city streets by 2021.

Asked if they had heard of the plan, 62 per cent said they had not with only 38 per cent saying they had.

Similarly, just 32 per cent said they were “familiar” with the scheme while 67 per cent said it was “unfamiliar” to them.

Between last Wednesday and Friday, Campaign Research polled an online panel of 928 Toronto residents. A sample of that size would have a margin of error of plus or minus 3.2 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

Queried whether Tory and the city government deserved criticism for Vision Zero failing to reduce the number of cyclist and pedestrians deaths over the past two years, 37 per cent said the mayor and council did while 38 per cent said they didn’t with 26 per cent unsure.

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But Campaign Research CEO Eli Yufest said there is clearly a public “appetite” for improving road safety.

“The Vision Zero just has low levels of awareness. The public wants something done and Vision Zero is, I suppose, the political answer, so the politicians have to do a better job of driving awareness,” Yufest said Tuesday.

“They don’t realize there’s an actual political initiative to address what is otherwise a popular thing to solve. Who wouldn’t want to solve traffic-related fatalities?” he said.

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To that end, 67 per cent would like to see more bike lanes while 33 per cent would not.

A staggering 88 per cent favour side-guards to protect cyclists from getting dragged under trucks with only 12 per cent opposing that safety measure.

Three-quarters — 77 per cent — want more stop signs, traffic lights, and crosswalks while 22 per cent do not.

Two-third — 65 per cent — would like to see roads redesigned and more speed bumps to slow down traffic while 35 per cent opposed that.

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Photo radar to discourage speedsters was favoured by 77 per cent of respondents with just 23 per cent in opposition.

Overall, 61 per cent would favour lower speed limits on city streets to protect pedestrians and cyclists with 39 per cent opposing.

When asked if they would only support lowering speed limits on major arterial roads, that jumped slightly to 68 per cent in favour with 35 per cent opposed and 7 per cent unsure.

With the lion’s share of the city’s “midblock” pedestrian fatalities happening in Scarborough, where crosswalks and traffic lights can be far apart, 63 per cent agreed the speed limits should be lowered there while 27 per cent opposed that and 11 per cent weren’t sure.

Robert Benzie is the Star’s Queen’s Park bureau chief and a reporter covering Ontario politics. Follow him on Twitter: @robertbenzie

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