The Regional Municipality of York is creating a new plan with the aspiration of bringing serious traffic injuries and deaths down to zero.
The new Vision Zero Traveller Safety Plan will seek to implement dozens of actions to address vulnerable road users, intersections, aggressive driving, distracted driving and impaired driving to make the region’s roads safer. In the shorter term, it will attempt to reduce severe collisions involving injury or death by 10 per cent over the next five years.
Regional council tentatively approved the plan March 7. Newmarket Mayor John Taylor said it is exceptional work.
“I really think this is going to take us to a new level,” Taylor said. “It's clear from the data, this will save people’s lives.”
The plan is based on similar vision zero plans made in Europe and across North America to reduce collisions. It originated in Sweden, which has seen a 70 per cent reduction since 1994, with other North American cities also achieving reductions, such as Edmonton declining 50 per cent since 2015.
Some of the actions planned include 20 accessible intersection improvements in 2024, other improvements like illumination and high-friction pavement at priority intersections, automated speed enforcement and targeted enforcement of distracted driving.
Regional data shows severe collisions have remained an issue, but focused on the years 2015 to 2019 for the plan due to the pandemic’s impacts on more recent data. There were 9,889 road collisions in 2019, about 25 per cent of which were severe. More recently, in 2023, the region projects 10,585 collisions total, of which 22 per cent will be severe.
“It is possible to prevent injuries and deaths on our roadways,” director of roads, traffic and fleet Joseph Petrungaro said. “Anything more than zero is unacceptable.”
Staff estimated the plan will cost about $12 million annually, with 90 per cent covered in existing capital programs. Staff said the remaining 10 per cent could be funded by revenues from automated speed enforcement and red light cameras.
Peter Miasek, chair of Markham’s cycling and pedestrian committee, deputed and praised most of the plan.
“We are very pleased to see that vulnerable travellers is a priority area,” he said.
There are more things he said cyclists would like to see, such as bollards on bike lanes, curb extensions and leading pedestrian intervals.
“They’ve been identified, but the hard work does start once you start implementing these things,” he said.
Markham Mayor Frank Scarpitti said the city has had some very tragic circumstances over the years.
“We are truly committed,” he said. “But at the end of the day, the reality is no amount of policy, lines, signs, or whatever forces we can use, even traffic tickets, is going to stop some of the stuff that happens out there. But this strategy will certainly influence a lot of it.”
