www.StreetSafety.ca
The Street Safety
Initiative was developed by a coalition of west-end Cycle Toronto ward groups
(13, 14, and 18) and DIGIN.
This project was sparked by a conversation between a cyclist and
an e-bike rider about the need for more respect and courtesy among different
road users on the streets of Toronto. Growing
congestion has resulted in more aggression and carelessness on the part of drivers,
cyclists, pedestrians and other road users.
The consequences are serious: Toronto’s traffic fatalities reached 63
in 2013—a ten-year high, and higher than the number of homicides in the
same year (56).
These collisions are not inevitable. Safer streets can be
created. In the last few decades, for instance, Sweden’s Vision Zero initiative drastically reduced traffic deaths even
as the number of cars on the road increased. New York City launched a Vision
Zero initiative in 2014 and other cities are
starting to sign up. The City of Toronto is developing a Road Safety Plan for
Toronto.
A large part of these safety campaigns have to do with urban
planning, such as reduced speed limits and infrastructure changes, but there is
also a role for public education to support a change in our traffic culture. This
is an area in which we can all play a role.
Description:
The Street Safety Initiative brings community groups together to
deliver a public education and outreach campaign. We aim to promote the key
message of Vision Zero, that traffic
collisions are not inevitable, and if individuals make minor changes to
their habits, they could save a life. Starting with a neighbourhood project, we
hope this initiative will have ripple effects in the greater Toronto area and
beyond.
Our initiative is a modest education campaign built around a
website and in-person outreach to the general public and new drivers in
particular. The website includes key
messages as well as public awareness tools
and resources that call attention in
a light-hearted but pointed way to dangerous and disrespectful street
behaviours, like aggressive and distracted driving, cyclists or anyone else
running red lights, or crossing the street while texting.
The key messages are organized by audience as follows:
Courteous cyclists…
ü stop at stop signs and red
lights!
ü don’t wear headphones!
ü ride on the street, not the
sidewalk!
ü use lights after dark!
|
Courteous drivers…
ü leave a metre when passing
cyclists/e-scooters!
ü go easy on the horn!
ü stop at the stop line, not
in the cross walk!
ü don’t park in bike lanes!
|
Courteous pedestrians…
ü don’t text and walk!
ü stay alert when crossing
the street!
ü wait for the pedestrian
signal before entering the intersection!
ü make eye contact!
|
Courteous road users (drivers,
cyclists, and e-scooters):
ü shoulder-check before
turning/changing lanes!
ü keep right except to pass/turn
& pass only on the left!
ü signal their turns and lane
changes!
ü make eye contact!
|
The general website content is organized using the following
categories:
·
Behaviour
·
Community
·
Design
·
Humour
·
Policy
The website will launch in late spring 2015. Once it is live, we
will drive people to the site by handing out stickers and pamphlets at streetside stops, music festivals, etc.
In fall 2015, teams will visit local
high schools to reach students as new drivers. Just as Mothers Against
Drunk Driving made drinking and driving more socially unacceptable in the 1980s
and 1990s, this initiative aims to support broader efforts to do the same for
the distraction, aggression, and the lack of courtesy we currently see in our
traffic culture.
If there is interest in taking
the initiative city-wide or further, we will gladly partner with other
groups and police units. Please contact streetsafetyinitiative@gmail.com for more
information.
Check it out at www.StreetSafety.ca!
Labels: 11 Division, 14 Division, DIGIN, road safety, Toronto, Toronto police, Transit, transportation, walking, Ward 18, Ward 18 Cycle TO
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