The City of Toronto will be introducing 45 new measures in 2017 as part of its Vision Zero Road Safety Plan targeted at eliminating fatalities and reducing serious injuries on our roads.

Among the initiatives that the City is introducing immediately include:

• creation of Seniors Safety Zones to be implemented at 12 high-priority locations, with increased pedestrian walk-times, enhanced signage and enhanced pavement markings
• implementation of red light cameras at 76 new locations
• accessible pedestrian signal installations at 20 additional locations
• geometric safety engineering improvements at 13 locations
• road safety audits at 14 high-risk collision locations
• expansion of the school Watch Your Speed Program at 20 additional locations
• speed reductions along 32 additional corridors
• expansion of the mobile Watch Your Speed Program – including 12 additional pole-mounted speed display units in the city's central core, and
• implementation of increased pedestrian walk times at 50 additional signalized intersections.

More information about the specific measures being implemented and locations is available in a backgrounder that can be found by clicking here.

The City has also created a website that provides information about the City's Vision Zero Road Safety Plan.  It includes a mapping tool showing safety measures in place and future planned work as well as safety tips for all road users aimed at making our streets safer. You can view the maps and other information by clicking here.

In 2016, there were 77 fatalities in Toronto, including 43 pedestrian deaths – up from 38 pedestrian fatalities in 2015.

The City's Road Safety Plan, approved by Toronto City Council in 2016, contains a series of measures and strategies aimed at reducing deaths and serious injuries on Toronto streets as well as improving safety for all road users.

The City of Toronto is reminding residents and businesses about the levels of snow-clearing service that the City provides.

Responding to large snowfalls requires a co-ordinated approach by the City’s staff and contractors to clear Toronto's streets and sidewalks.

As soon as the snow begins, Transportation Services sends its fleet of salt trucks to the expressways and the main roads. The salt trucks then move to local roads. If the City receives 2.5 centimetres of snow, the plows are sent to the expressways and, if five centimetres falls, plows also go to the main roads, with plowing taking place intermittently for the duration of the storm. 

When the snow stops, if the snow accumulation has reached eight centimetres, plows are sent to local roads. Residents are asked not to call 311 during the storm to ask when their street will be plowed. The City will clear the local roads between 14 and 16 hours after the snow stops falling.

The City will clear snow from sidewalks on roads with high pedestrian traffic and on bus routes where it is mechanically possible to do so after two centimetres of snow have fallen and from the remaining roads after eight centimetres have fallen. In the central core of the city, property owners are required to clear their sidewalks of snow within 12 hours after a storm. More information about sidewalk snow clearing in Toronto and a map of where the service takes place are available at http://www.toronto.ca/transportation/snow/sidewalks. 

The City will only open/clear driveway windrows where it is mechanically possible to do so after eight centimetres of snow have fallen. Typically, driveway windrows are opened between one and two hours of the road being plowed. The service is meant to only open up a width of about three metres – not the full width of the driveway. This program does not take place in the central core of the city due to narrow road widths and on-street parking.

The City has created a webpage that enables residents to see the location of city plows, sidewalk plows and salt trucks, and noting when their street was serviced by the City's winter operations crews. The webpage can be accessed at http://www.toronto.ca/plowTO.

The City has identified a priority network of bike lanes and cycle tracks in the downtown core that will receive enhanced winter maintenance this winter, including snow plowing and salting to improve safety for cyclists.

The City of Toronto’s levels of service for snow clearing meet the provincial standards for municipalities and road authorities. These levels of service were adopted by Toronto City Council in 2013. 

The City has 600 snow plows, 300 sidewalk plows and 200 salt trucks ready to tackle the winter season.

With winter just around the corner, the City of Toronto is gearing up to deal with the impacts of winter – both on city streets and beneath them. The work includes managing snow and ice on city streets, and responding to the effects of cold weather on the City's watermains and water service pipes.

Cold weather and rapid swings between thaw and freezing temperatures can cause an increase in watermain breaks. Toronto Water staff are ready to respond to service calls 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The City is also offering tips to help residents prevent their pipes from freezing.

"We never know exactly what winter holds for us, but we're prepared with a comprehensive plan to tackle the challenges. Toronto Water crews are ready to respond, and we have a number of contingency contracts in place in case we need extra support," said Councillor Jaye Robinson (Ward 25 Don Valley West), Chair of the City's Public Works and Infrastructure Committee. "And, as always, we have a full complement of winter operations equipment including about 600 snow plows, 300 sidewalk plows and 200 salt trucks to help keep the roads and sidewalks safe and passable during the winter season."

The City's first priority during a snowfall is to keep the main roads clear for emergency and TTC vehicles. After that, crews move on to the local roads and usually complete clearing those roads between 14 and 16 hours after the storm ends.

As soon as the snow begins to fall, Transportation Services sends its fleet of salt trucks to the expressways and main roads. Local roads and laneways are salted soon after the main roads. When two centimetres of snow has accumulated, plowing begins on the expressways and, when five centimetres has accumulated, plowing begins on the main roads. Plowing on the expressways and main roads continues until the operation is complete.

This winter, the City has also identified a priority network of bike lanes and cycle tracks in the downtown core that will continue to receive enhanced winter maintenance, including snow plowing and salting to improve safety for cyclists.

Local road plowing begins when the snow stops falling and if the snow accumulation reaches at least eight centimetres. During this time, as staff focus on planned snow-clearing routes, snow service requests will not be taken by 311. Residents are also asked not to call 311 during the storm to ask when their street will be plowed. Residents should call 311 only to report urgent winter-related calls in addition to other matters apart from storm response.

Residents can help out this winter by doing a few things to assist with the City's snow-clearing efforts, including not pushing snow back onto the road, avoiding parking on city streets to help the plows do their work and taking public transit.

The City will only open/clear driveway windrows where it is mechanically possible to do so after eight centimetres of snow have fallen. Typically, driveway windrows are opened between one and two hours after the road being plowed. The service is meant to only open up a width of about three metres – not the full width of the driveway. This program does not take place in the central core of the city due to narrow road widths and on-street parking.

The City will clear snow from sidewalks on roads with high pedestrian traffic and on bus routes where it is mechanically possible to do so after two centimetres of snow have fallen, and the remaining roads after eight centimetres have fallen. In the central core of the city, property owners are required to clear their sidewalks of snow within 12 hours after a storm.

You can learn more about sidewalk snow-clearing in Toronto and view a map of the areas where the service is provided at http://www.toronto.ca/transportation/snow/sidewalks. 

More information about the City of Toronto’s snow-clearing operations is available at http://www.toronto.ca/transportation/.

Cold weather is a major cause of watermain breaks but it is not the only one. The City is dealing with aging infrastructure, with the average watermain 59 years of age. To address this issue, the City of Toronto has committed $1.76 billion over the next 10 years to upgrade its watermain distribution system. More information can be found at www.toronto.ca/watermains.

Cold weather can also cause pipes inside the home and on private property to freeze.  Residents are reminded to prepare their pipes for winter by wrapping foam pipe insulation around pipes most prone to freezing, especially near outside walls and in crawl spaces, attics and garages. It is also important to seal air leaks around windows and doors, and to disconnect hoses and drain the outdoor water supply. More frozen pipe prevention tips can be found at http://www.toronto.ca/frozenpipes.

Residents can learn more about how to prepare for extreme weather and weatherproof their homes at http://www.toronto.ca/extremeweatherready.

As you may be aware, the College Promenade BIA began an extensive streetscaping project over the course of the summer. The project as originally intended would have reconstructed the north and south side sidewalks of College Street from Shaw St to Rusholme Road with custom pavers. In addition the project is to enhance the public realm with a series of parkette spaces and new custom designed bicycle parking racks. The City of Toronto issued a Notice of Termination to the contractor for failing to comply with the contract provisions. The City immediately mobilized subcontractors to make necessary temporary restorations to the north side of College Street and to render the sidewalk safe and passable.  

Myself and Councillor Layton have been working tirelessly throughout the summer with the BIA and City staff in an effort to resolve issues arising from the project. We fully acknowledge and sympathize with all business owners and residents who feel they have been negatively affected by the construction and the challenges of this project. We will be meeting with staff and the BIA board to develop and implement a plan for the remaining work. The City will re-tender the remaining project work and hire a new contractor next year to complete the work on the south side of College Street and address any deficiencies.

A important part of what makes our community unique and vibrant is the great businesses which line our streets. I encourage you to shop local and support our local businesses along College Street.

Since my election, I have been a strong advocate to improve rail safety in our community and for the removal of dangerous being transported through our densely populated urban centers. On August 21, a Canadian Pacific Train collided and derailed with another train along the CP rail corridor near Dupont and Spadina. As a result of the collision, approximately 1,100 litres of diesel fuel from the colliding locomotive was spilled onto the track area. Crews worked quickly to clean the spill and thankfully there were no serious injuries. This incident reinforces the need to make meaningful improvements in rail safety now.

We must continue to work with our Federal and Provincial governments to improve protections for communities living along rail corridors. I welcome the announcement from the Provincial Government this summer to begin stakeholder consultations to advance the "Missing Link" freight rail bypass. This project provides an unprecedented opportunity to move Canadian Pacific Rail's freight traffic off the CP tracks that run through Toronto. I also welcome Federal Minister of Transport Marc Garneau's expressed openness to enhanced rail safety measures and hisdetailed outline of current federal rail safety enhancements underway in response to the open letter that many City Councillors and Mayor Tory sent earlier this year calling for federal action. You can read the Minster Garneau's full response here.

While these measures represent a decisive start towards establishing sufficient protections for communities along rail lines, I will continue to advocate for further action on this important issue.

This summer the College Promenade Business Improvement Area is carrying out extensive streetscape beautification work along College Street from Havelock to Shaw Streets. This work is the result of a joint planning effort between myself, the BIA, City staff, and the local community. These investments by the College Promenade BIA focus on strong collaboration with local artists and designers to create a dynamic landscape showcasing the best of Toronto's creativity.

A series of "Blue Rooms" and parkettes, designed by Stanislav Jurkovic will combine additional shade and custom designed bench seating with dynamic public artwork and lighting, adding new vibrancy and colour to the neighbourhood. Further streetscape improvements include upgraded decorative paving units, new light posts, 58 new tree plantings and new public artwork. 

In addition to these investments, a series of custom bicycle parking racks, designed by local craftsman Scott Eunson will provide a great piece of public artwork and expand bicycle parking for visitors and shop patrons. Expanding the accessibility of our business to new patrons is an important part of my work to improve the commercial vibrancy of shops across Ward 18 and this investment builds on the expansion of 15 Bike Share stations across our community. I look forward to these streetscape investments being completed and thank the community for for all the feedback which made these improvements a reality. While construction is ongoing, local businesses are still open and I encourage you to shop local and help support our local businesses during the construction!

In addition to this streetscaping work, multiple infrastructure renewal projects are taking place along College Street including TTC streetcar track replacement, road upgrades at the College and Lansdowne intersection and watermain and lead pipe replacement work on Lansdowne south of Dundas Street. For more details on these projects, please click here.

The City of Toronto will be installing cycle tracks (bike lanes) on Bloor Street from Shaw Street to Avenue Road as a pilot project to enhance cycling infrastructure and safety for all road users.

To accommodate this new cycling infrastructure, a number of changes will be made to Bloor Street in this area starting next week, including:

• Bloor Street from Shaw Street to Avenue Road will be reduced to one lane in each direction beginning Tuesday, August 2, weather permitting.
• All on-street parking in this area will be removed for the first few days of construction, starting August 1 at 6 p.m.
• New painted bike lanes, flexi-posts and signs will be installed.
• Signs will be installed to communicate changes to parking bylaws and loading areas.

Work to install the cycle tracks will take place 24 hours a day from Monday to Friday, and there is a possibility of some weekend work. As much as possible, noisy work will be limited to daytime hours. The installation work is expected to take about two weeks to complete, weather permitting.

For cyclists, Harbord Street will be an alternative route during the early part of construction. 

These changes are part of the Bloor Street bike lanes pilot project that was approved by City Council in May. The pilot project evaluation will focus on the effectiveness of the cycle tracks, options for the design of the separation between the cycle tracks and traffic lanes, the impacts on parking and loading for area businesses, and the effect on traffic flow.

More information about this project is available at http://www.toronto.ca/bloorbikelanes or at @TO_Cycling on Twitter.

On June 1, 2016 I hosted a joint community consultation with neighbouring City Councillor Mike Layton (Ward 19, Trinity- Spadina) to discuss a proposal to turn Dovercourt Road between Dundas Street West and Queen Street West into a one way road. This proposal came forward as a result of safety concerns on this narrow but busy section of Dovercourt and a petition to turn it into a one-way road.

At the meeting there were some concerns regarding turning Dovercourt into a one-way road, such as traffic spilling onto other neighbourhood streets and increased vehicle speeds as a result of wider lanes. Therefore, City staff will examine a variety of options including speed humps, bollards, textured paving surfaces and other measures to address the safety concerns on this street. We will report back to the community for your input and feedback once a new proposal is developed and I hope to provide an update on the next steps soon. 

In March, many City Councillors & Mayor Tory sent a joint letter to the Federal Minister of Transport Marc Garneau calling for the federal government to take action to improve protection for communities living along commercial rail lines. Our letter proposed several specific actions for the Ministry and Transport Canada to undertake in order to enhance community safety. To read the full letter, please click here.

Minister Garneau has responded to our letter and outlined the current steps and direction his staff and Transport Canada are pursuing with respect to this issue. The Minister outlined the following positive measures the Federal Government is taking.

• Speed restrictions of 40mph and 50mph on freight movements through urban areas.
• Renewed efforts to establishing a communications framework for industry, the regulators and the public that directly engages local communities.
• Review of the DOT-111 phase out period (currently scheduled for completion on May 1, 2017) to assess the potential to accelerate this timeline. 
• As part of new insurance regulations which come into force on June 18, 2016, Railways will now be required to payout compensation to victims of an accident involving crude oil without needing to prove fault or negligence.
• A new industry-financed compensation will be established to fund any claims and costs exceeding a railways insurance levels, in the event of an accident. 
• 2016 Federal budget includes $143 million for increased inspections and first responder training and equipment. 

To read the Minister's full response, please click here.

While these measures represent a decisive start towards establishing sufficient protections for communities along rail lines, I will continue to advocate for further action on this important issue.

The City of Toronto will be performing spring maintenance activities on the Gardiner Expressway as well as demolishing the Dowling Avenue bridge over the expressway starting this Friday. A full closure of the expressway is needed to ensure safety for the public and for the workers involved.

This weekend presents an opportunity for City workers to perform maintenance on the expressway as there are few major events occurring in the downtown core. The Mayor's Road Closures Committee meets monthly to select traffic closure dates with the goal of limiting disruption to motorists.

In order to mitigate traffic congestion associated with the expressway closure, the City will make changes to traffic-signal timing to enhance traffic flow on nearby routes.

The Gardiner Expressway will be closed between Carlaw Avenue and Highway 427/Queen Elizabeth Way from 11 p.m. on Friday, May 13 to 5 a.m. on Monday, May 16 for the maintenance work.

Specific activities that will be undertaken during this closure:

• demolition of the Dowling Avenue bridge that spans the Gardiner Expressway
• resurfacing 2.5 lane-kilometres of roadway
• crack sealing and repair of about 8,900 metres of asphalt surfaces
• 800 square metres of bridge deck repair
• in-depth inspection and chipping of 32 bridges west of Dowling Avenue and 24 bridge sections on the elevated portion of the expressway
• flushing of 120 bridge joints
• cleaning and repair of 600 catch basins, and flushing and inspection of culverts
• shoulder re-grading to restore drainage at several locations
• sign maintenance for entire length of roadway
• maintenance of 20 closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras
• inspection and repair of seven overhead signs
• repairs on RESCU vehicle detectors
• repair of approximately 500 metres of guiderail, including end treatments and safety systems
• mechanical sweeping operations and debris removal
• inspection, repair and re-lamping of street lights
• pothole repairs, and
• pavement markings.

Motorists can use Lake Shore Boulevard, the Queensway, King Street, Bloor Street and Evans Avenue as alternative routes during the weekend closure.   

The work schedule for the project on Lake Shore Boulevard between York Street and Rees Street has been adjusted so all westbound lanes of traffic can re-open during the full closure of the Gardiner Expressway. The lane reductions currently in effect at that section of Lake Shore Boulevard will go back into effect at 5 a.m. on Monday, May 16.

The City has a web-based map to help residents and visitors make their travel plans, available at http://www.toronto.ca/roadrestrictions.

In addition, the City's T.O. INview map shows planned capital construction work taking place across the city. T.O. Inview can be accessed at http://www.toronto.ca/inview.

This work is part of the City's comprehensive and co-ordinated strategy to rehabilitate and upgrade Toronto's roads, transit and underground infrastructure for current and future needs.