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Road Safety & Vision Zero Plan

Filip said:
The amount of stops on our surface network is a major problem that I don't see a solution to.

Apparently people can't walk an additional 200m - lest we ignore the rest of the world that does it in a more balanced fashion. There's a reason why our streetcars are just dreadfully slow... They stop far too often.

To add to the above, there's a bus stop at Marine Parade/Lakeshore and another at Palace Pier/Lakeshore. They're about 70m apart.
Click to expand...
TTC rationalized a lot of their streetcar stops downtown over the past few years - King St. had 4 stops removed; Brant, Simcoe, York, and Victoria. It has really helped in downtown through speeds, especially with the pilot now in place.

What they need to do is to continue doing that for the entire bus and streetcar system.
 
I find Toronto's traffic intersections to be too dark for pedestrian safety. Made worse by the wearing of dark clothes, especially in winter.

From this link.

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Spot the Pedestrian... As the dark nights are well and truly with us, pedestrian safety becomes a hotter topic than usual. Messages from organisations such as ICBC and the RCMP have been warning pedestrians to be careful crossing the road, which subsequently face criticism calling for the messages to target drivers rather than pedestrians or for our streets to be better designed. Read on for some thoughts on that...

Social media provides an easy outlet to criticise and the criticism is fair to some extent, but in my eyes, messages targeting both drivers and pedestrians are equally important. Calls for better infrastructure are also equally important but not at the expense of anything else.
Click to expand...

We need much better lighting at traffic intersections, especially where pedestrians cross, so they can be seen. Sometimes I have to look for silhouettes because I can't see the pedestrians.


photo-1480725768605-482e867c3971

From link.
 
That's a very good option. It can avoid a lot pedestrian accidents. Is there such a system available in any part of the world?
 
Who needs any signage, lights or anything?


MOST AMAZING INTERSECTION


Most Amazing Intersection in the World ? ? ? This is how a major intersection with NO white or yellow lines, NO directional arrows, NO traffic lights and no one directing traffic works. In this time lapse video we see the intersection at Meskel Square, the nerve center of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Check out the pedestrians as they navigate the seeming chaos with apparent, though stealthy immunity. Driving this intersection is not for the timid, patient or slow-thinking driver. No one with those limitations would ever get through! Driving this intersection. Takes guts, split second timing, a brake and gas pedals that work !
 
Edward Skira said:
Who needs any signage, lights or anything?


MOST AMAZING INTERSECTION


Most Amazing Intersection in the World ? ? ? This is how a major intersection with NO white or yellow lines, NO directional arrows, NO traffic lights and no one directing traffic works. In this time lapse video we see the intersection at Meskel Square, the nerve center of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Check out the pedestrians as they navigate the seeming chaos with apparent, though stealthy immunity. Driving this intersection is not for the timid, patient or slow-thinking driver. No one with those limitations would ever get through! Driving this intersection. Takes guts, split second timing, a brake and gas pedals that work !
Click to expand...

That's also kinda (at a bigger scale) how many major intersections in Rome work. It's a terrifying and harrowing experience, as a foreigner pedestrian.
 
Skeezix said:
This morning on Queen East, east of Broadview.

The building wasn't wearing bright clothing and was distracted by its phone.
Facebook, Danforth & Woodbine Community Group
Click to expand...

But was the building wearing a helmet? It must have darted into the driver's field of vision.
 
Edward Skira said:
Who needs any signage, lights or anything?


MOST AMAZING INTERSECTION


Most Amazing Intersection in the World ? ? ? This is how a major intersection with NO white or yellow lines, NO directional arrows, NO traffic lights and no one directing traffic works. In this time lapse video we see the intersection at Meskel Square, the nerve center of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Check out the pedestrians as they navigate the seeming chaos with apparent, though stealthy immunity. Driving this intersection is not for the timid, patient or slow-thinking driver. No one with those limitations would ever get through! Driving this intersection. Takes guts, split second timing, a brake and gas pedals that work !
Click to expand...
The city planners also managed to build a street with more than two lanes. Fundamentally, a huge proportion of our problems are due to this.
 
Edward Skira said:
Who needs any signage, lights or anything?


MOST AMAZING INTERSECTION


Most Amazing Intersection in the World ? ? ? This is how a major intersection with NO white or yellow lines, NO directional arrows, NO traffic lights and no one directing traffic works. In this time lapse video we see the intersection at Meskel Square, the nerve center of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Check out the pedestrians as they navigate the seeming chaos with apparent, though stealthy immunity. Driving this intersection is not for the timid, patient or slow-thinking driver. No one with those limitations would ever get through! Driving this intersection. Takes guts, split second timing, a brake and gas pedals that work !
Click to expand...
Looking at this again, there is another important aspect. I lived and worked and drove in Mexico City for four years. There were traffic lights, but the chaotic element was there.

There are two more elements that make this work. Beyond guts, timing and a car which performs.

One. Expectations. Everyone understands the rules. Drivers and Pedestrians alike. Everyone know that breaking them will have consequences. Everyone has been socialized the same way, and that allows you to predict what the other drivers will do. This is very important.

Two. There was no lawlessness in Mexico City. I never saw someone run a red. The rules are there and if you break them, there will be consequences. Legal or life.
 
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