Provincial Election: Cycling and Road Safety Priorities
While Cycle Toronto’s primary focus is on City Hall, we’ve engaged with several Ontario MPP candidates already about what priorities would make meaningful change for Toronto at the Provincial Government level. Be sure to ask your candidates questions about whether they will commit to moving these initiatives forward at Queen’s Park:
- Passing Bill 54: Vulnerable Road Users Law, which is has passed second reading and is currently awaiting a Justice Committee meeting
- Mandatory cycling education in schools - at the Grade 5 and Grade 9 level
- Mandatory truck side guards on all commercial trucks
- Developing a Provincial Vision Zero Plan
- Allowing cities to determine which streets Automated Speed Enforcement (ASE) cameras can be situated. ASE is currently restricted to school zones, even though data suggests that high-speed arterials are where ASE has the most positive impact in reducing serious injuries and deaths
- All day, two-way GO Transit service on weekdays and weekends; removing rush-hour restrictions for bikes; adding bike cars on trains; bike share integration at stations.
- Extending electric vehicle rebates to all zero emission vehicles, to include e-bikes and e-cargo bikes.
- Providing secure storage at transit stations and in other public spaces
- All provincial highway overpasses and underpasses in urban areas should include safe designs for vulnerable road users, such as protected bike lanes
- Legalize the Rolling (Idaho) Stop - evidence shows that safety improves when stop signs are treated like yield signs for cyclists, and would reduce unnecessary traffic stops
Lead photo by Element5 Digital on Unsplash