Newmarket traffic statistics ‘amaze’ regional councillor

YorkRegion.com
June 9, 2016
Chris Simon

Statistically speaking, Newmarket is one of the safest communities for pedestrians in this area of York Region, council heard Tuesday night.

York Regional Police #1 District commanders Mark Brown and Paulo DaSilva delivered an intriguing deputation on one of the most talked about subjects within their jurisdiction —traffic enforcement — at Tuesday night’s council meeting. They noted there were about 2,485 collisions reported in the district last year. In total, 428 of those crashes led to injuries and six people died.

Specifically in Newmarket, there were 1,109 collisions reported in 2015. Of those, 950 involved property damage and 158 were personal injury accidents. One pedestrian death was also reported during that time.

“Traffic collisions devastate more Canadian families and inflict more physical hardship than all other crimes combined,” DaSilva said. “Every hour, there is a collision within the region. Just about all the collisions I’m speaking about are completely preventable.”

YRP’s #1 District includes a population of about 200,000 people and serves Newmarket, Aurora, East Gwillimbury and the northern sections of Whitchurch-Stouffville and King Township.

The statistics “amazed” Regional Councillor John Taylor, who notes that while Newmarket’s population accounts for about 45-per-cent of the district’s coverage area, only a small percentage of serious collisions occur on town roadways.  

“We have a significant number of intersections, the key to fatalities and collisions,” he said. “When it comes to personal injury collisions and persons killed… we’re ranging between five and 10-per-cent… even though we (have) 45-per-cent of the population, which is astounding.”

The highest number of fatal collisions in the district took place in East Gwillimbury last year, likely due to the number of open, rural roads that can lead to higher vehicle speeds, Brown said.

“When you live in town, the opportunity for high speeds is significantly reduced,” he said.

Across the region, one person is injured in a collision every four hours. A pedestrian is struck every two days, while a cyclist is hit every four days. Meanwhile, one fatality occurs, on average, every 17 days, according to the 2014 York Region Traffic Report, DaSilva said.

There were 14,697 reportable vehicle collisions across the region in 2015. Of those, 19 were fatal, 3,137 were personal injury and 11,541 were property damage collisions.

“Driving is a privilege, not a right,” DaSilva said. “Ignore your smartphone device and make driving a priority. Choose not to drink and drive. A lot of individuals live within the communities (where they offend). You have to take ownership and accountability and make sure you obey the laws when you get behind the wheel of a car.”

Distracted, impaired and aggressive driving and lack of seatbelt compliance are the four main causes of road safety issues, DaSilva said.

In #1 District, for example, there were large increases in the number of impaired driving related charges laid, he said.

The presentation comes weeks after the release of a town information report on local traffic safety efforts, where engineering services director Rachel Prudhomme admitted the municipality is having a difficult time getting speeding under control on most of its roads.

The report outlined several steps the town plans to take in an effort to improve traffic safety in town, from the creation of a transportation mitigation study to enhanced road markings at intersections with high pedestrian volumes and the purchase of solar pole-mounted radar boards.

YRP have implemented a number of initiatives aimed at cracking down on these offences, including RIDE checks and the Road Watch online reporting program.

Councillor Christina Bisanz called for more promotion of Road Watch, through the erection of signage around the community, for example.

“We all want speed bumps on every street and more stop signs and everything else,” she said. “But you can help us with better awareness of Road Watch. That would help with the education and enforcement, before having to look at speed bumps and so forth."