Item - 2019.IE6.8

The Infrastructure and Environment Committee recommends that:

1. City Council endorse in principle the Vision Zero 2.0 plan as outlined in the report (June 13, 2019) from the General Manager, Transportation Services and the General Manager, Solid Waste Management Services, and direct the General Manager, Transportation Services to report back to the appropriate committee where additional authorities are required in order to implement the Vision Zero 2.0 Plan.

2.  City Council designate as Community Safety Zones the secondary school locations set out in Attachment 1 to the report (June 13, 2019) from the General Manager, Transportation Services and the General Manager, Solid Waste Management Services, subject to availability of funding in the 2020 budget.

3. City Council authorize the General Manager, Transportation Services, to negotiate, enter into, and execute agreements, as may be required, with Vital Strategies to receive funding of $50,000USD for the expansion of the Active and Safe Routes to School Pilot project and the continuation of the City of Toronto's involvement in the Bloomberg Philanthropies' Partnership for Healthy Cities Initiative, on such terms and conditions satisfactory to the General Manager, Transportation Services and in a form satisfactory to the City Solicitor.

4. City Council authorize the General Manager, Transportation Services, to negotiate, enter into, and execute agreements, as may be required, with Green Communities Canada to receive funding in the amount of $60,000CAD from the Ontario Active School Travel Fund for the expansion of the Active and Safe Routes to School Pilot project, on such terms and conditions satisfactory to the General Manager, Transportation Services and in a form satisfactory to the City Solicitor.

5. City Council reduce the speed limit from 60 km/h to 50 km/h on the following road segments as part of the Speed Management Strategy outlined on page 21 in the report (June 13, 2019) from the General Manager, Transportation Services and the General Manager, Solid Waste Management Services:

a. Albion Road from Todd Brook Drive to Silverstone Drive

b. Bathurst Street from Delhi Avenue to Steeles Avenue West

c. Birchmount Road from Eglinton Avenue East to Steeles Avenue East

d. Brimley Road from Eglinton Avenue East to Progress Avenue

e. Brimley Road from Sheppard Avenue East to Steeles Avenue East

f. Danforth Road from Brimley Road to McCowan Road

g. Don Mills Road from A point 24 metres south of the centre line of the Don Valley Parkway to
Kern Road

h. Don Mills Road from Duncan Mills Road to Steeles Avenue East

i. Dundas Street West from Dunbloor Road to East Mall Crescent

j. Eglinton Avenue East from Brentcliffe Road to Kingston Road

k. Eglinton Avenue West from Bicknell Ave / Municipal Dr to 200 m west of Pearen Street

l. Ellesmere Road from Morningside Avenue to Victoria Park Avenue

m. Finch Avenue East from Bayview Avenue to Victoria Park Avenue

n. Finch Avenue East from Birchmount Road to Midland Avenue

o. Finch Avenue West from Albion Road to Yonge Street

p. Islington Avenue from Prince George Drive/Ridgevalley Crescent to Monogram Place

q. Keele Street from Greenbrook Drive to Finch Avenue West

r. Lawrence Avenue East from Railside Road (west intersection) to Morningside Ave

s. Leslie Street from Eglinton Avenue East to McNicoll Avenue

t. Markham Road from Kingston Road to Progress Avenue

u. Markham Road from Milner Avenue to Steeles Avenue East

v. Martin Grove Road from Eglinton Avenue West to Dixon Road

w. Martin Grove Road from Jeffcoat Drive to point 250 metres north of Mercury Road/ Westhumber Boulevard

x. McCowan Road from Danforth Road to Progress Avenue

y. McCowan Road from Milner Avenue to Steeles Avenue East

z. Morningside Avenue (Scarborough) from Kingston Road to Tams Road/ Pan Am Drive

aa. Morningside Avenue (Scarborough) from Milner Avenue to McLevin Avenue/ Casebridge Court

bb. Sheppard Avenue East from Yonge Street to Meadowvale Road

cc. Sheppard Avenue West from Weston Road to Yonge Street

dd. St. Clair Avenue East from Danforth Road to Birchmount Road

ee. Steeles Avenue East from Yonge Street to Warden Avenue

ff. Steeles Avenue West from Fenmar Drive to Jane Street

gg. Steeles Avenue West from Keele Street to Yonge Street

hh. The Queensway from Ellis Avenue to Kipling Avenue

ii. Victoria Park Avenue from O'Connor Drive to York Mills Road

jj. Victoria Park Avenue from Consumers Road to Steeles Avenue East

kk. Warden Avenue from St Clair Avenue East to Metropolitan Road

ll. Warden Avenue from Arkona Drive to Steeles Avenue East

6. City Council reduce the speed limit from 70 km/h to 60 km/h on the following road segments as part of the Speed Management Strategy outlined on page 21 of the report (June 13, 2019) from the General Manager, Transportation Services and the General Manager, Solid Waste Management Services:

a. Black Creek Drive (Northbound) from Eglinton Avenue West to Weston Road; and

b. Black Creek Drive (Southbound) from A point 200 metres north of Weston Road to Eglinton Avenue West.

7. City Council reduce the speed limit from 60 km/h to 50 km/h on the following road segments for Pedestrian Safety Corridors as outlined on page 26 of the report (June 13, 2019) from the General Manager, Transportation Services and the General Manager, Solid Waste Management Services:

a. Eglinton Avenue East from Kennedy Road to Kingston Road

b. Kennedy Road from St. Clair Avenue East to Lawrence Avenue East

c. Victoria Park Avenue from O'Connor Drive/Eglinton Square to Lawrence Avenue East.

8. City Council reduce the speed limit from 50 km/h to 40 km/h on the following road segments for Pedestrian Safety Corridors as outlined on page 26 of the report (June 13, 2019) from the General Manager, Transportation Services and the General Manager, Solid Waste Management Services:

a. Bathurst Street from St. Clair Avenue West to Briar Hill Avenue

b. Dufferin Street from Geary Avenue to Eglinton Avenue West

c. St. Clair Avenue West from Runnymede Road to Dufferin Street

d. Victoria Park Avenue from Dawes Road to O'Connor Drive/Eglinton Square

e. Yonge Street from Eglinton Avenue East/West to Broadway Avenue

9. City Council amend the Zebra Crosswalk Policy outlined in Attachment 17 to the report (June 13, 2019) from the General Manager, Transportation Services and the General Manager, Solid Waste Management Services to include them at stop-controlled intersections that meet the following conditions:

a.  located within Pedestrian Safety Corridors,

b. located within School Safety Zones,

c. located within Senior Safety Zones, and

d. at locations where safety is, in the opinion of the General Manager, Transportation Services, an issue.

10. City Council:

a. adopt the Missing Sidewalk Installation Policy in Attachment 2 to the report (June 13, 2019) from the General Manager, Transportation Services and the General Manager, Solid Waste Management Services.

b. delegate final decision making authority to the General Manager, Transportation Services to add sidewalks to local roads as part of a reconstruction or to accommodate a request for a person with a disability.

c. amend Chapter 27, Council Procedures to revoke the legislative delegation to Community Councils in respect of sidewalk proposals as set out in Section 27-18.4B.7.

d. direct that sidewalk proposals not otherwise delegated to the General Manager, Transportation Services, by Recommendation 10b. above shall be reported on an annual basis to the Infrastructure and Environment Committee for recommendation to City Council. 

11. City Council amend Municipal Code Chapter 950, Traffic and Parking, to add motorcycles to the Designated Class of Vehicles permitted in reserved lanes on Bay Street from Front Street West to Bloor Street East.

12. City Council request the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario to review and amend road safety related educational programs with a Vision Zero lens related to vulnerable road users including but not limited to mandatory motorcycle training program for M-class Licensing; improved cycling education in schools; enhanced vulnerable road user training requirements for all M and G Class driver education schools including improvements to the Ministry of Transportation (MTO) Driver's Handbook, Knowledge and Road Tests. 

13. City Council request the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario and Transport Canada to explore mandatory Intelligent Speed Assistance in all new motor vehicles including private vehicles and evaluate other in-vehicle safety technologies.

14. City Council request the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario to change the maximum Blood Alcohol Concentration for all licensed motorcycle drivers to 0 percent.

15. City Council authorize the General Manager, Solid Waste Management Services to implement vehicle side guards and to further the current video-based telematics technology to improve road safety by:

a. authorizing the General Manager, Solid Waste Management Services to negotiate, and enter into, and execute any and all agreements and amending agreements necessary, subject to available funding, to implement a fleet safety and accountability program for all new and existing, in-house and contracted out vehicles, which aligns with the principles of Vision Zero and the technologies outlined in the report and Attachment 3 to the report (June 13, 2019) from the General Manager, Transportation Services and the General Manager, Solid Waste Management Services on terms and conditions satisfactory to the General Manager, Solid Waste Management Services, and in a form satisfactory to the City Solicitor;

b. requesting the General Manager, Solid Waste Management Services, to report back annually, through the budget process, on any fleet related safety and accountability enhancements that have been implemented and integrate fleet safety performance as a key performance indicator moving forward;

c. approving funding for the capital acquisition for the safety and accountability enhancement retrofits to existing solid waste vehicles in the amount of $3,850,000 to be budgeted in the amount of $2,530,000 in 2019 and $1,320,000 in 2020 from the Waste Management Reserve Fund (XR1404); and 

d. approving funding for annual operating costs associated with monitoring and equipment maintenance to be budgeted in the annual Operating Budget in the amount of $55,200 in the 2019 Operating Budget with an equal offset to the contribution to the Waste Management Reserve Fund (XR1404), and directing that future costs be included in the annual Solid Waste Management Services Budget.

16. City Council request the General Manager, Transportation Services to review the opportunity for a policy that all TTC stops be provided with a controlled crossing in the immediate vicinity working in consultation with the TTC to ensure that this policy does not reduce the number of TTC stops, and report to the Infrastructure and Environment Committee in third quarter of 2019.

17. City Council direct the General Manager, Transportation Services to plan and design road reconstruction projects using a complete streets approach, including the potential for bicycle lanes, at the outset of all road reconstruction projects, in consultation with local councillors and stakeholders.

18.  City Council request the General Manager, Transportation Services to report to the Infrastructure and Environment Committee on October 17, 2019 with a recommendation for a motorcyclist lane filter pilot program at a suitable location within the City that meets all road safety rule.

With a renewed commitment to the safe systems approach, this report presents the City of Toronto's update to the Vision Zero Road Safety Plan ("RSP") (2016) - Vision Zero 2.0.While the 2016 RSP included a larger set of mostly shorter term improvements, Vision Zero 2.0 recommends a set of more extensive, more proactive and more targeted initiatives, informed by data and aimed at eliminating serious injury and fatalities on Toronto's roads.

While the number of serious injury collisions have remained relatively steady over the past decade, the number of fatal collisions in the past 5 years has seen a general increase compared to the previous 5 years. The upward trend is most notably seen in pedestrian fatalities.

Compared to 2016, the year with a ten-year record high of 78 traffic fatalities, the number of fatalities in the past two years appears to have begun to decline. However, no loss of life as a result of traffic collisions is acceptable in a Vision Zero approach, and addressing road safety continues to be a priority for residents, elected officials and staff.

The Vision Zero philosophy is a significant departure from the traditional approach to road safety. This transformative change will take several years to fully establish.

As Vision Zero solutions are planned and implemented, there are circumstances when decisions to improve road safety may result in outcomes at odds with other objectives like reducing motor vehicle delay. Vision Zero 2.0 reiterates that human life should be prioritized over all other objectives within all aspects of the transportation system. 

Since Council approved the Vision Zero RSP in June 2016 Transportation Services has made progress in a wide range of over 40 countermeasures.

Following a safe systems approach, Vision Zero 2.0 continues to draw solutions from the 5Es of engineering, enforcement, education, engagement and evaluation. The plan focuses these solutions on 6 emphasis areas of pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists, school-aged children, older adults and aggressive and distracted driving. Vision Zero 2.0 focuses on a set of the most effective actions including:

-  Speed management strategy: Higher speeds contribute to higher risk of serious injuries and fatalities by reducing driver reaction time, increasing the vehicle stopping distance, and inflicting more severe blunt force trauma on victims upon impact. The proposed speed management strategy is comprised of seven integrated speed reduction tools aimed at mitigating risks associated with high speeds. These include revised speed limit setting practices, road design improvements, enhanced police enforcement, proactive deployment of Watch Your Speed signs, speed limit reductions, automated speed enforcement and public education.

-  Road design improvements: Geometric modifications to the design of the road are known to be one of the most effective ways of achieving the intended target speed for the context and improving road user behaviour. There will be a greater focus on this safety countermeasure, including integration of safety improvements as a component of planned road work, implementation of shorter-term interim safety improvements and enhancing road illumination.

-  Proactively addressing high-risk mid-block crossings: Mid-block crossings are the most prevalent type of pedestrian collisions resulting in a killed or serious injury incident and account for over 50 percent of pedestrian fatalities. Wide arterials roads with several lanes of traffic, high travel speeds and long distances between signalized crossing opportunities all contribute to high-risk mid-block crossings. Going forward, recommendations in staff reports on traffic signals will be based upon a new contextual approach to traffic signal assessment and will result in the installation of new signals that may not have been previously warranted.

-  Proactively addressing turning collisions at signalized intersection: Left turn and right collisions at signalized intersections are the second most prevalent type of Killed and Serious Injury collisions involving pedestrians (24 percent) and cyclists (20 percent). Pedestrian head start signals will be proactively implemented at most signalized intersections across the city as a default safety feature. Bicycle head start signals will also be implemented where feasible. Right-turn-on-red prohibitions will be strategically deployed at intersections with known relevant collision patterns.

-  Education and engagement plan: The overarching goals of the education and engagement component of Vision Zero programming are informing and consulting with the public, building support for infrastructure improvements, and instituting a shift in social norms and road user behaviour.
 

In addition to the focus actions listed above, a number of other supporting initiatives are outlined in this report. These include:

-  Expansion of the red light camera program;
-  Adding safety features such as side guards to City fleet, particularly large vehicles, starting with the Solid Waste Management Division;
-  Development of District Safety Action Plans;
-  Expansion of partnerships for school travel planning programs;
-  Reviewing signal operations practices with a lens of vulnerable road user safety;
-  Advocacy to the Province for mandatory motorcycle training, improved driver training, changing the maximum Blood Alcohol Concentration for all licensed motorcycle drivers to 0 percent.
 

A key focus of Vision Zero 2.0 will be a renewed emphasis on data-driven decision making and prioritization. Efforts in this area include:

-  Using predictive analytics to more effectively prioritize and target our safety measures
-  Incorporating a social justice and equity lens;
-  Implementing performance monitoring and evaluation to measure the impact of our safety programs;
-  Working with partners to acquire better data.
 

It is possible that Toronto will continue to see fluctuations, and at times, increases in year-over-year number of serious injuries and fatalities in the short term until the effects of various Vision Zero initiatives are realized. Experience of other cities and countries that have adopted the Vision Zero approach suggests that meaningful change is only possible after several years of sustained and focused commitment.

Transportation Services is committed to implementing these actions, with adequate resources, in order to eliminate all traffic fatalities and serious injuries on Toronto's roads.