Gridlock and congestion have been, especially as of late, at the forefront of everyone’s mind. The mayor’s push to ticket and tow vehicles blocking lanes during rush hour is yielding positive results. It’s helping to get our city moving.
As we build upon these efforts to free up our most-used routes, we can’t forget that drivers looking to beat the traffic are using our local roads and school zones as shortcuts. As a mother of two small children and now an elected official, one of my key priorities is to protect our most vulnerable as they walk and cycle to school.
I am committed to explore the myriad of options that are required to make our local streets safer, especially for our children. We must continue enforcing the rules that we already have. A free-flowing arterial road means drivers have less incentive and inclination to venture onto smaller streets and residential areas in search of a bypass or shortcut.
We must be willing and able to utilize the whole toolbox of traffic control measures that are available to keep our local streets local and flowing. Furthermore, we must continue to make key investments in transit, as our system is overwhelmed.
Only through a combination of these measures can we really get Toronto moving while keeping our pedestrians and cyclists safe. I look forward to working with residents, city staff and my colleagues with regard to this matter, to protect our children and secure their ability to walk and cycle safely to school.
