Item - 2023.IE2.11

The Infrastructure and Environment Committee recommends that:

1. City Council request the General Manager, Transportation Services, in consultation with the City Solicitor, to report to the Infrastructure and Environment Committee on options for enhanced safety measures in Senior Safety zones, including but not limited to the feasibility for doubling fines for speeding, reducing the speed limit, and creating larger signage in Senior Safety Zones.

I am requesting your support in calling on the Province of Ontario to double the speeding fines in the Senior Safety Zones in order to enhance our ongoing efforts to protect our seniors.

As the Seniors Advocate for the City of Toronto, it is my priority to ensure that Toronto seniors have the ability to age with greater dignity and navigate their communities without fear for their well-being and safety. The proportion of Toronto's population over age 65 is projected to grow to 21.2% by 2041, and City Council have taken the first steps toward improving the safety of seniors on City streets through the implementation of 64 Senior Safety Zones.

The Toronto Police data states that the majority of victims in fatal collisions were pedestrians (76%). Similarly, the majority of victims in life threatening collisions were also pedestrians (63%). Of the 71 fatalities that have occurred within these safety zones, approximately 44 occurred prior to the zones being designated as Senior Safety Zones and after its implementation, only 27 have been reported from 2018-2022. There has also been a 51% decline in fatalities and a 20% decline in life threatening/altering collisions, within these zones.

The incidence of collision reports within Senior Safety Zones have drastically decreased but this is not enough. The doubling of speeding fines within these zones will protect the security and further improve the safety of Toronto's senior community, especially in areas with larger right-of-way which result in higher vehicular speeds.