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Road Safety & Vision Zero Plan

Admiral Beez said:
Why do we need to pay overtime to police to enforce traffic laws? Isn't that like paying teachers overtime to teach?

The big challenge we need to overcome is that we need more police, but we can't afford them. We should have less expensive traffic constables, they don't necessarily need guns, just a whistle and a badge. That's what Vancouver has. https://vancouver.ca/police/organiz...cy-operations-planning/traffic-authority.html
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I looked up their Traffic Authority Program and, while it is not completely clear, it seems they assist the police with their primary duty being traffic control; nothing about enforcement duties but it's not clear. The devil would be in the details regarding what authority any 'traffic special constable' would be granted.
The 'routine traffic stop' has killed a number of police officers over the years. Having unarmed traffic special constables is fine until something goes sideways.
 
Protected Bike Lanes that Work for Everyone
Protected bike lanes and intersections are important for bike and pedestrian safety, but what about people who have physical challenges or visual impairments?

From link.

WalkSFCover.png

A new instruction guide developed by Walk SF and others shows how to make sure protected infrastructure doesn't encumber or endanger the disabled. Illustration by Eric Tuvel.

Protected bike lanes and protected intersections are the gold standard for making busy streets safe for pedestrians and cyclists. But if designed badly, these features–which also require the construction of floating bus-boarding islands and loading zones–can create impediments for people in wheelchairs and the visually impaired. That’s why advocates created “Getting to the Curb,” a design manual for protected bike lanes that also work for pedestrians and the disabled.

The 32-page manual, a collaboration between Walk S.F. and the Vision Zero Coalition’s Senior & Disability Working Group, was released to the public at an event held Tuesday at the Independent Living Resource Center San Francisco. Participants in the Senior and Disability Working Group also include the Senior & Disability Action, San Francisco Mayor’s Office on Disability, Independent Living Resource Center of San Francisco, and Age & Disability Friendly SF.
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“Protected bike lanes are separated from traffic with infrastructure such as soft-hit posts, raised medians, planters, a transit island, or a lane of parked cars. Although these create safer conditions for bicyclists, their location next to the curb has two major impacts on pedestrians: it eliminates direct access to the curb for people getting out of cars; and it also often results in pedestrians having to cross an active bike lane to access parking and transit islands,” wrote Walk San Francisco in a release. “While these impacts may only slightly inconvenience able-bodied individuals, they are more problematic for seniors or people with disabilities.”

“This will help better inform our designs,” said SFMTA Director Cristina Rubke, who was at Tuesday’s event. “We want to make sure we put in design principles that assure accessibility.”
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One of those design principles is pictured in the lead image: when building a connection from the sidewalk to a loading or bus island, make sure the crosswalk is raised so disabled people don’t have to struggle up and down to traverse the bike lane. This also forces cyclists to slow as they approach the potential point of conflict. In addition, “It provides visibility for pedestrians who are crossing,” said Rubke. It’s a feature that she hopes “…even ‘quick build‘ transit islands have.”
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bus.jpg

An example of what not to do. This bus boarding island at Potrero and 16th in San Francisco requires bus riders to go down and up again to cross the bike lane at street level. Advocates want bikes to rise up instead. Photo: Streetsblog/Rudick

“This was an eighteen-month project,” explained Jodie Medeiros of Walk San Francisco, of the work to produce the richly illustrated guide. “It was a huge labor of love,” said Natasha Opfell, project lead, and currently Mobility Manager at Transdev North America. “The key issue was how to work with the buffers, the path of travel, and how to get from paratransit vehicles to the sidewalk.” She said prior to them starting the work, most planners–when they talked about bikes and the disabled–were predominantly concerned with adaptive bikes, not interactions between disabled people and cyclists. The manual she helped develop, she added, ended up being as much an instruction template about what not to do.

For example, Jessica Lehman, Executive Director of San Francisco Senior and Disability Action, said that SFMTA’s current markings to guide between protected bike lane buffer zones and the curb make getting to the sidewalk “an adventure… I remember going [along] a buffer trying to find the curb cut: it was like a treasure hunt.”
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WalkSFBullets.png


“Empathetic design ensures that our infrastructure projects truly create safer streets for all,” said Opfell, in a statement. “When we involve people with disabilities and invoke universal design principles early on in the design process, we are able to create streetscapes where everyone feels welcome. I hope that ‘Getting to The Curb’ can serve as a tool to combat ableism, inspire inclusive design, and make us better advocates, engineers, planners, and policymakers.”
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Noparatransitpickups.png

An example of what *not* to do from the guide. In this case, the lack of breaks in the planter strip make paratransit loading challenging. Illustration by Eric Tuvel.

Walk S.F. is making this manual available to the public, with the hope that other cities will incorporate its recommendations.

It’s accessible here (PDF).
 
^Also that shelter gives cyclists a bad sight line toward crossing pedestrians. I would eliminate that pedestrian-cyclist conflict altogether. It would be particularly bad for seniors and other mobility impaired people slowly crossing in front of speeding cyclists.
 
It also looks like the bikes have to swerve around a set of parked cars (the dooring gauntlet) right after the platform ends, meaning cyclists are probably going to be at least slightly distracted about either the upcoming lateral shift or the pedestrians. There's just so much wrong with the picture on so many levels.
 
It's appalling that Dupont St is as dangerous as it is. I live just off of it near Ossington and the speed at which cars travel through out the day is nuts. I'm surprised I see anyone biking there, because I did once and will never again. There's definitely room for bike lanes there, protected ones even.

Who do we even speak to get this looked at?
 
UPDATE: The mother of a 16-year-old boy “intentionally struck” by a motorist in East York last month says she cannot comprehend the cruelty they showed as they ran him down and left him to die.

“It’s like they treated him like a piece of an animal. (It was) like they were just hitting nothing. They had no conscience and just left him.” Kelly Jones said after watching a surveillance camera clip police have released publicly in order to catch her son’s killers.

Matthew Dreaver was killed in the early morning hours of Oct. 7 after police said he was deliberately struck by an SUV in the area of Woodbine Avenue and O’Connor Drive.

A disturbing video, which was publicly released by police with the consent of the victim's family, shows Dreaver caught under the wheels of a dark-coloured SUV while being dragged for some distance.

The vehicle then turns around and drives past the victim's lifeless body before leaving the scene.

https://www.cp24.com/news/i-just-wi...ps-search-for-men-who-ran-down-teen-1.4696239
 
GOOD IDEA! This is a ghastly crossing for pedestrians!

News Release



November 22, 2019



City to permanently close westbound Fleet Street to improve safety



Starting Monday, November 25, the westbound lane of Fleet Street between Bathurst and Iannuzzi Streets will be permanently closed to all vehicular traffic. The lane will remain open for pedestrians and cyclists.



Permanently closing this 200-metre portion of westbound Fleet Street is a critical Vision Zero measure that will put into action prior City Council recommendations for normalizing the intersection at Fleet Street, Bathurst Street and Lake Shore Boulevard West.



The high-collision, five-arm intersection has long been a problematic location in the city's road network for all modes of travel. It is dangerous for pedestrians and cyclists, confusing for drivers and delays two streetcar lines.



The multi-modal Vision Zero safety improvement will shorten crossing distances for pedestrians and reduce vehicle turns and transit delays. Additionally, it will improve operating conditions for the 509 and 511 streetcars.



The step will be followed by monitoring, installation of streetscaping features and a technical review of the larger intersection for future pedestrianization and public realm plans for the whole area.
 
A Popular Toronto Street Is Banning Vehicles After Years Of Collisions
The street will be permanently closed to traffic.

From link.

The City of Toronto announced this Friday that it would be permanently shutting down the westbound lane of Fleet St. between Bathurst and Iannuzzi to all vehicular traffic on Monday, November 25, 2019. The move to shut down a portion of Fleet St. is in conjunction with the city’s Vision Zero plan and an effort to normalize the intersection at Fleet, Bathurst and Lakeshore Blvd. W.​


The City of Toronto announced this Friday that it would be permanently shutting down the westbound lane of Fleet St. between Bathurst and Iannuzzi to all vehicular traffic on Monday, November 25, 2019. The move to shut down a portion of Fleet St. is in conjunction with the city’s Vision Zero plan and an effort to normalize the intersection at Fleet, Bathurst and Lakeshore Blvd. W.

According to the city, the five-way intersection has long been a hot spot for collisions. “It is dangerous for pedestrians and cyclists, confusing for drivers and delays two streetcar lines,” a statement from Toronto’s Senior Communications Coordinator, Hakeem Muhammad read.

The Vision Zero Road Safety Plan is a comprehensive five-year plan aimed at cutting down on reducing traffic-related fatalities and serious injuries on Toronto’s streets.

The initiative has launched 50 safety measures across our six Toronto regions. The project aims to place a priority on the safety of the city’s most vulnerable road users.

"This is a significant, immediate action that will enhance safety for all road users in the adjacent neighbourhoods of Bathurst Quay, Fort York, and Cityplace.

This step aligns with our Vision Zero agenda, simplifies an intersection that has always been confusing for everyone and sets in motion a long-term strategy for a more vibrant public space,” Mayor John Tory stated about the closure in a press release today.
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https://twitter.com/x/status/1197883915362590720

“We must plan and invest in our infrastructure to make our streets safer. No amount of injuries on our streets is acceptable. I’m glad to see this critical first step in our plan for Bathurst and Fleet being implemented to finally make this intersection safer.” Added Councillor Joe Cressy (Ward 10 Spadina-Fort York), Chair of the Board of Health.
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W. K. Lis said:
A Popular Toronto Street Is Banning Vehicles After Years Of Collisions
The street will be permanently closed to traffic.

From link.

The City of Toronto announced this Friday that it would be permanently shutting down the westbound lane of Fleet St. between Bathurst and Iannuzzi to all vehicular traffic on Monday, November 25, 2019. The move to shut down a portion of Fleet St. is in conjunction with the city’s Vision Zero plan and an effort to normalize the intersection at Fleet, Bathurst and Lakeshore Blvd. W.​




https://twitter.com/x/status/1197883915362590720
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Anyone want to take bets on how soon the first accdent with a streetcar and car is and the person says but my GPS told me to turn here. That's going to be the biggest problem as not everyone updates there GPS and not every mapping service updates right away.
 
EastYorkTTCFan said:
Anyone want to take bets on how soon the first accdent with a streetcar and car is and the person says but my GPS told me to turn here. That's going to be the biggest problem as not everyone updates there GPS and not every mapping service updates right away.
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Will the directions send you into the underground garage to bypass the closure?
 
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