A Road Safety Seniors Strategy

All Torontonians should be able to move around our city safely. The data reveals, however, that our older residents are disproportionately vulnerable when it comes to collisions on Toronto’s streets.

Adults over the age of 55 encompass 26 percent of the city’s population, but in 2015 made up 73 percent of pedestrian fatalities.

It’s clear that the population structure of our city is shifting. In the last 40 years, the number of older adults living in Toronto increased by over 200,000, a number that will only grow in the coming years.

With that in mind, I directed staff at the last Public Works & Infrastructure Committee meeting to develop a targeted Seniors Strategy as part of the upcoming Road Safety Strategic Plan. This strategy will build on the city’s existing initiatives related to seniors’ safety and draw from best practices in other jurisdictions.

The goal is to develop a set of targeted measures that will thoughtfully and tactically improve the safety of our older residents as they navigate our city.

Building a Road Safety Seniors Strategy is a prime opportunity for Toronto to demonstrate leadership in attending and adapting to the needs of our aging population.

For more information, click here to read my motion.