Finding the danger zones: York Region asks for your opinion on travel safety

Public event planned to seek citizen input on road risks

Yorkregion.com
Feb. 23, 2023
Kim Zarzour

Where do you feel most at risk when travelling in York Region?

The people responsible for safety management in the region want to hear from you.

Each year, around 16,000 collisions occur on regional and local roadways -- and in 100 of those crashes, someone is injured seriously, or fatally.

That’s despite extensive traffic safety initiatives implemented on regional roads over the past two decades, including SpeedWATCH boards, pedestrian crossovers, school zone pavement markings, roundabouts, red light cameras, automated speed enforcement and intersection safety pilot studies such as no-right turn on red prohibition, exclusive left turn signal and pedestrian and cyclist right-of-way signage.

Regional council has decided it needs to do more and is developing a regionwide Traveller Safety Plan with input from the public

Led by a committee of industry professionals, consultants and road safety partners, the plan will set out targets, policies and actions to create safer travel.

As part of this initiative, the region wants to hear about how safe you feel on the roads, identify your priorities for improvements -- such as intersection-related, distracted driving, aggressive driving or pedestrian/cyclist safety -- and pinpoint your concerns on a map.

A report submitted to council in October 2022 looked at where the travel dangers were in York Region.

It found 87 per cent of collisions were a result of improper driving and most involved speed, youth, distracted driving or weather conditions.

The most dangerous time was identified as Friday during the winter months and evening rush hour, and most common crashes were rear-end collisions at signalized intersections due to motorists following too close.

A virtual information session is set for Feb. 28, 7:30 p.m.

The hour-and-a-half event will include a presentation of the Traveller Safety Plan and solicit citizen input through an interactive online tool.

For more information and to register for the public information session, visit the region’s website, York.ca.