Pedestrian Deaths Surge as Toronto Faces Road Safety Crisis
AI-generated image · Bay Street Wire
Police data reveals a spike in fatalities and a five-year high for motorcyclist deaths following the removal of speed cameras.
Toronto is witnessing a rise in pedestrian deaths resulting from traffic collisions, as first reported by CBC Toronto, according to data provided by the Toronto police traffic services unit. As of this year, 21 pedestrians have died in traffic collisions, representing a 24 per cent increase over the previous year.
Based on current trends, the city is on track to potentially exceed the 44 pedestrian deaths recorded in 2022, which marked the highest number of fatalities in recent years. Jess Spieker, a spokesperson for the road safety advocacy group Friends and Families for Safe Streets, told CBC Toronto that the city is averaging approximately four deaths per month in total traffic collisions. Spieker estimates that Toronto is on track to reach roughly 49 traffic collision fatalities by the end of the year.
Beyond pedestrian casualties, police data shows a five-year high for motorcyclist deaths. As of Oct. 5, 11 motorcyclists have died in traffic collisions, a 57 per cent increase compared to the same period last year.
Advocates point to the removal of speed cameras last November by the provincial government as a primary driver of the trend. Spieker stated that the removal of these cameras has allowed drivers to speed without restriction. This sentiment is echoed by a city report from June, which CBC Toronto reports found a significant increase in speeding in areas where cameras were previously installed.
In response to the safety concerns, Dakota Brasier, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Transportation, told CBC Toronto that speed bumps and roundabouts are the most effective ways to ensure road safety. Brasier noted that the province provided Toronto with $10 million through a road safety initiative fund to implement traffic calming measures that do not alter vehicle lanes.
However, the implementation of these alternatives may be slow. A city staff report from February indicated that installing traffic calming measures across Toronto could cost approximately $52 million and take up to 13 years to complete.
Toronto police spokesperson Nadine Ramadan told CBC Toronto that traffic enforcement has remained consistent despite the removal of speed cameras. Ramadan stated that officers utilize analytics to identify high-risk driving behaviors and determine where enforcement is most needed to improve safety.