Last month, Councillor Mike Layton, Ward 11, University-Rosedale, requested that the Infrastructure and Environment Committee consider limiting the number of red lights drivers will be allowed to make right turns on in Toronto.
That request will be considered by the Committee tomorrow, March 11.
READ: Lowering Speed Limit to 30 km/h in Toronto Drastically Improved Pedestrian Safety: Report
Citing Vision Zero, Layton suggests that right-turns-on-red (RTOR) are just one of the ways the city can be doing a better job to promote pedestrian safety.
"Motor vehicle RTOR are a common type of collision in Toronto and is responsible for 13% of the city’s pedestrian injuries and/or fatalities. In the majority of these collisions, pedestrians had the right of way. Allowing RTOR compromises the safety of vulnerable road users, including seniors, children, and people with disabilities," reads the item summary.
According to the committee consideration summary, "Staff are scheduled to report back on a strategy on speed limit reductions in fourth quarter of 2020 which would be a good time to include ROTR considerations."
A recent pilot program that looked at the effect of reducing the speed limit to 30 km/h from 40 km/h on a total of 850 local roads in Toronto and compared them to 390 roadways in Scarborough where the speed limit remained at 40 km/h found that roads became much safer for pedestrians.
