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Photo by Craig Robertson / Craig RobertsonInspector Peter Moreira of the Integrated Gun &/Toronto Sun

We suggest Keesmaat, CEO of Creative Housing and a University of Toronto lecturer, should run for mayor if she wants to launch an anti-car crusade.

But for the rest of us, let’s consider reality.

Of course, one death of a cyclist or pedestrian — or of drivers and passengers in cars, or on motorcycles, often overlooked in these discussions — is one death too many.

The fact remains 50.55% of Torontonians use cars to get to work, either as drivers or passengers, compared to 2.75% who bicycle, 8.61% who walk and 37.01% who use public transit, according to the latest census.

Photo by Tijana Martin / THE CANADIAN PRESS

While their use has declined slightly over the years, cars are not going to magically disappear as the main method of transportation in Toronto, which is why responsible city and provincial policies must serve all of the city’s residents, not a few.

Keesmaat cited the deaths of 93 cyclists and pedestrians in Toronto since Mayor John Tory announced Vision Zero in June, 2016, with the idealistic goal of cutting traffic deaths to zero by 2021.

Any death is terrible. But a more realistic perspective is provided in a city report, “Pedestrian and Cycling Safety in Toronto”, released in June, 2015, when Keesmaat was chief planner.

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It noted while cyclist and pedestrian injuries and fatalities are cyclical due to many factors, “over the past 10 years, rates of both pedestrian and cyclist injuries and fatalities due to collisions with motor vehicles have decreased in Toronto”, despite the increase in pedestrians and cyclists due to population growth and, we’d add, the city’s planning policy of urban intensification.

In the real world, this isn’t about cars versus bikes and pedestrians.

Let’s pursue sensible initiatives to promote the safety of all the citizens of Toronto, however they get around the city.

But simply declaring a war on the car ignores the reality that, given Toronto’s size, it’s a necessity for many families.