Item - 2017.PW25.10

The Public Works and Infrastructure Committee recommends that:

1. City Council direct the General Manager, Transportation Services to proceed with Automated Speed Enforcement in conjunction with the Province of Ontario and other partnering municipalities, including the issuance of a Request for Proposals investigating the feasibility for the City of Toronto to manage the Joint Processing Centre on behalf of the partnering municipalities for the future Automated Speed Enforcement program.

2. City Council request:

a.  the Director, Court Services and the City Solicitor to undertake an investigation into the feasibility of adopting an Administrative Penalty System (APS) for both the Red Light Camera program and future Automated Speed Enforcement (ASE) program; and,

b. the City Manager to expedite the development of the business case for IT solutions to advance the development of the Administrative Penalty System for consideration in the 2018 budget process.

The Public Works and Infrastructure Committee:

1.  Requested the Budget Committee to consider and make recommendations on the funding required to implement the further acceleration and expansion of the Road Safety Plan in 2018, rather than 2019.

2.  Requested the General Manager, Transportation Services, in consultation with the Directors of the four Toronto school boards, to provide an update annually to the City-School Boards Advisory Committee on progress toward implementing and measuring the impact of the Vision Zero Program of road safety initiatives for school zones.

3.  Requested the General Manager, Transportation Services to identify options, resource implications and opportunity for partnership with the Province and the School Boards for expediting implementation of traffic safety measures in school zones as described under the City's Vision Zero Road Safety Plan to public schools, and report back to Public Works and Infrastructure Committee as part of Transportation Services’ bi-annual update report on the Road Safety Plan in the third quarter of 2018.

In July 2016, City Council approved the Vision Zero Road Safety Plan (RSP), a comprehensive, five year (2017-2021) $80.3 million action plan focused on reducing traffic-related fatalities and serious injuries on Toronto's streets. The City is committed to Vision Zero and its fundamental message: “Fatalities and serious injuries on our roads are preventable, and we must strive to reduce traffic-related deaths and injuries to zero”.

The RSP follows a widely accepted, holistic approach to improving road safety which includes engineering, education, enforcement, engagement and technology-based solutions, focusing on six emphasis areas: pedestrians, school children, older adults, cyclists, motorcyclists, and aggressive driving and distraction.

Since its adoption, the RSP has been subject to three accelerations and expansions, totalling $7.669 million:

-   In 2016, a reallocation of $2.293 million to RSP capital funds enabled delivery of the RSP to commence in advance of the 2017 budget through leveraging Public Transit Infrastructure Funding (PTIF) to accelerate pavement marking enhancements and the roll-out of Pedestrian Safety Corridors.

-   In 2017, a reallocation of $4.156 million to RSP capital funds enabled initiation of the "Senior Safety Zones" program, added Motorcycles as an emphasis area, created the "Road Safety Committee", and leveraged PTIF to expand a number of countermeasures, and accelerate the roll-out of Pedestrian Safety Corridors and the "Watch Your Speed" program.

-   For 2018, a proposed reallocation of $1.220 million within the Transportation Services' Capital Budget submission, using funds released from leveraging PTIF that were originally earmarked to partially fund the Geometric Improvements program. This will enable acceleration and expansion of the Enhanced Pavement Markings program, Automated Speed Enforcement program, Mobile "Watch Your Speed" program, and awareness initiatives for school children, older adults, and cyclists.
 

To further accelerate the RSP, in response to requests by Council, this report recommends that an additional $6.303 million in capital funding over the next three years from 2019 to 2021 be considered as part of Transportation Services' future Capital Budget submissions. 

In addition, this report considers the feasibility of accepting donations from the public to provide funding support for local projects and recommends commencing the detailed planning and implementation process for an automated speed enforcement program to operate in school zones and community safety zones.

Staff are planning to report back to Council with a fully revised RSP in the first quarter of 2019 that would revisit the existing countermeasures and proposed new countermeasures for the next 5 year period (2019-2024).

On September 27, 2017 the City School Boards Advisory Committee considered Item TS7.1, a presentation from Transportation Services on Vision Zero Road Safety Plan: Safe School Zones Program.