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Mayor Tory urges drivers to slow down and be extra careful as trick-or-treaters are out tonight for Halloween
Mayor John Tory joined Allison Macrae, the mother who spearheaded the Kids at Play initiative to put up Slow Down lawn signs in her neighbourhood, and other families in Parkdale this morning to safely walk children to school and urge drivers to slow down and take extra caution tonight.
Fall means fewer daylight hours and visibility is reduced for both drivers and pedestrians. Studies have shown more driver and pedestrian collisions occur in the fall when there are fewer daylight hours.
“Little monsters will be out tonight for Halloween. I’m urging people to drive carefully and look out for trick-or-treaters,” said Mayor Tory. “The number of pedestrians and cyclists hit by vehicles in our city this year is both alarming and unacceptable. Those who use the roads have a responsibility. Drivers need to obey the law, slow down and be extra careful.”
The City asks drivers to follow the following road safety tips:
• Be extra careful and watch for pedestrians.
• Avoid any distractions while driving such as eating or using your phone.
• Ensure that headlights, brake lights and signals are working. Headlights should be turned on at dusk.
Families and trick-or-treaters are reminded to:
• Cross at traffic signals, crosswalks and stop signs on busy roads.
• Wait for cars to come to a complete stop and make eye contact with the driver before starting to walk across the street at a stop sign, crosswalk or traffic light.
So far this year there have been 67 fatalities in Toronto, including 35 pedestrian deaths – up from 29 pedestrian fatalities at this same time in 2015. Due to these high and unacceptable numbers, the City of Toronto accelerated changes to city streets and intersections to improve safety for all road users through the Road Safety Plan that Toronto City Council approved in July. The accelerated initiatives include:
• 400 speed signs installed along 14 roads where speed limits have been reduced by 10km/hr
• installation of zebra markings at 317 intersections to enhance pedestrian safety
• 320 signalized intersections will be enhanced with reflective material by the end of the year to improve visibility during power failures
• activation of 56 accessible pedestrian signals to assist people with disabilities to cross at signalized intersections
• 37 signalized intersections have been equipped with longer pedestrian crossing times to allow more time for pedestrians to safely cross the street
• making physical changes at 14 intersections including curb radius reductions and intersection re-alignments to reduce pedestrian crossing distances and help reduce aggressive driving, and
• installation of permanent "Watch Your Speed" signs at five additional locations to alert motorists of their speeds in school zones.
Beginning in 2017, the City's Road Safety Plan will introduce 45 new measures targeted at eliminating fatalities and reducing serious injuries with an emphasis on pedestrians, school children, older adults, cyclists, aggressive and distracted driving, and motorcyclists. More information about the specific measures is available in a backgrounder at http://bit.ly/2faJXjJ.
（Source: City of Toronto） |
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