As of today, there have been 14 pedestrian fatalities so far this month in the GTA. Eight of those have been in Toronto. To put this in context, in 2009 there were 56 pedestrian deaths in the GTA and 31 in Toronto. In both cases we’re already at about 25% of last year’s total.
And that has a lot of us in the GTA, particularly those of us who walk more than we drive, are looking for explanations. As I’ve read through newspapers over the past couple of weeks, I’ve found the list of factors that have been suggested is long and varied.
Clifford Photo
Inattentiveness – One that has been brought up repeatedly with both pedestrians and drivers being distracted by technology (cellphones, iPods, etc.) and hectic lifestyles that are causing us to rush (driving too fast, jaywalking, etc.)
Suburban Design – last year the majority of pedestrian fatalities happened in the outer boroughs (Etobicoke, North York, Scarborough) of Toronto, not the downtown core. The range of explanations include speeding, wide streets, poor pedestrian infrastructure (i.e. sidewalks, crosswalks)
Traffic and Walk Lights – the newer countdown lights were suggested as a contributing cause since pedestrians and motorists will try to rush through the intersection. And apparently the assumption is the pedestrians will cross at a speed of 3.6 km/h
Seniors – it turns out that the number of seniors killed in traffic accidents is on the rise. About 60 per cent of pedestrian fatalities last year were among those over 65, compared with 44 per cent the previous year. (Globe and Mail:
Visibility – This has been mentioned by many and includes everything from less daylight, to the mild weather, to impaired vision from salt-covered windshields, to dark clothing worn by pedestrians, to pedestrians limiting their visibility with hood and hats. Apparently in previous years the majority of pedestrian fatalities have occurred between October and January
The question is, with all this speculation about causes why hasn’t there been more discussion about solutions? Of all the coverage, most of it argues that everyone just needs to be more careful. I’ve seen only a few that try to take it from a search for explanation to seeking real solutions. There are a few exceptions, including Dylan Reid of Spacing Magazine who throws out a few solutions and Christopher Hume of the Toronto Star who pushes for solutions and rethinking our cities. Hopefully more will come in the weeks and months when the tragedies of the last couple of weeks percolates through our think tanks and policy makers.
In the meantime, I’m going to share a couple of great websites that I’ve come across that are linking how cities are planned, walkability (a real word at least in municipal planning departments) and our quality of life.
This organization has a simple philosophy for making our communities safer for pedestrians and cyclists:
- Step 1: Think of a child that you love and care for who is approximately 8 years of age. This could be a child, grandchild, sister, brother, cousin etc.
- Step 2: Think of an adult, approximately 80 years of age who you love and care for. This could be a parent, grandparent, friend etc.
- Step 3: Ask yourself: Would you send that 8 year old along with the 80 year old on a walk, or a bike ride on that infrastructure? If you would, then it is safe enough, if you would not, then it is not safe enough.
Too often, when street designs are prepared, the car is at the centre of the plan and this organization is doing some amazing work to help us rethink this approach.
This organization does are great job linking why walkability is so integral to a socially sustainable community – including inclusivity, reduced crime, safety and spaces for people. And they are working with Canada Walks, an organization already doing work on walkability in Ontario including Active and Safe Routes to School.
This is a resource that a colleague of mine contributed to when he was working as a consultant. It provides a score to neighbourhoods in the States (and it has been embraced by some in real estate as a way to market homes).
Did you enjoy this post?
May we also suggest:
Jane’s Walking through Vancouver’s Historical Communities It's a simple equation, really: walking + history + people + urban literacy = strong, vibrant communities. This Saturday and Sunday (May 1 & 2, 2010) you can be part of the equation by participating in Vancouver's Jane's Walk 2010. Continue reading →...
Cycling Clubs Cycling is more fun in a group. Not only do groups make road biking less work, as cyclists take turns breaking the wind, they also make riding feel safer, as car drivers easily see a pack of cyclists. For this reason, cyclists tend to form clubs and participate in organized group rides. Continue reading →...
Hi Katie,
I just want to point out that Walk Score also works in Canada. For example, I score 92 out of 100 (Walker’s Paradise) in Mount Pleasant; I’m just north of Broadway and a couple blocks east of Main.
Cheers,
Brenton
could ‘bikeability’ be related to walkability and pedestrian deaths? i know in montreal, the bike lanes are separated from the traffic by car parking. would this ‘buffer zone’ also help to reduce pedestrian fatalities? could we ‘kill’ two birds with one stone?
Excellent post, Katie! The councillor of Vaughan was interviewed on CBC Radio the other day about traffic fatalities in that region – apparently they’re setting up a task force that will concentrate on three things: 1.) pedestrian education, 2.) driver education, and 3.) safer infrastructure
It will be interesting to see whether something will actually come of this, or whether this is a knee-jerk response to recent traffic fatalities that is more talk than walk … literally.
Simply. It’s called looking both ways before you cros sthe street. I got hit once two years ago when I was crossing yeah I was texting and not looking up but that’s the drivers’ responsibility to know where his targets are. Just outlaw cars and bikes downtown toronto. Public transit, delivery trucks and taxis and that’s it. I put a proposal in a few days ago and will let yuo know what happens.
Good post, but the issue is drivers being idiots.
-Pete
Nothing essential, just an aside from a European vantage point: Streets are EXTREMELY wide in North America in general. Heck, even in a backwater place like Lennoxville, you can park one meter away from the curb and nobody will see any problem in that. It always flabberghasts me how long it takes to cross.
The only city in Germany I’ve ever been to that has such annoyingly spacy streets is Berlin. But then, they’ve had a taste for delusions of grandeur in city planning since Prussian times. Not to mention people like Albert Speer…
@ Real Pete: Oh, and one more – good thing about your proposal. Radical shift of paradigm though, but in the long run probably the only solution in such extremely urban hubs like Toronto. I remember almost having been run over on Yonge Street…
Thanks for all the comments!
I agree that “bikeability” is related. Complete streets, where pedestrians, cyclists, transit, and vehicles can all coexist safely is needed. I think European cities do a better job of reaching this balance and (like many things related to sustainable communities we need to look to them for guidance). But in North America we’ve designed our streets primarily for cars and that allows drivers to be idiots. They can easily speed on wide streets and do things that endanger pedestrians and cyclists like take right turns without stopping because of how intersections are designed.
I think the suburbs are going to be a particular challenge, because they are so car focused and often lack even the most basic pedestrian/cyclist infrastructure. In the case of the GTA, to stop the sprawl onto farmland the suburbs are now intensifying (meaning more people in the same space). The sustainability rhetoric describes doing this so that the suburbs become walkable, livable, complete and compact communities. But a significant infrastructure investment and a monumental cultural shift will be needed for this to work.