Markham Stouffville Review, May 2024

14 MARKHAM STOUFFVILLE REVIEW MAY 2024
Plan to ‘end severe collisions’
York Regional Council has given the
green light to a plan that has the “aspirational
goal” of ending severe road collisions
here.
“The Vision Zero Traveller Safety Plan
reaffirms York Regional Council’s commitment
to keep our roads safe and communities
healthy,” says York Region Chairman
and CEO Wayne Emmerson.
“Developed with data, best practices,
and public and partner input, this comprehensive
plan enhances and identifies areas
to further improve safety on our roads,”
he says. “With every countermeasure we
implement, we’ll be one step closer to
reaching our aspirational goal of ending
severe collisions on roads in York Region.”
Both total collisions and traffic volumes
here rose by 13 per cent from 2015 to
2023, the region reports. In 2020, collisions
fell to about 6,200 due to traffic volumes
dropping sharply during pandemic-related
closures. When restrictions eased in 2021
and traffic volumes increased, collisions
increased from just under 7,000 to a projected
10,500 in 2023. Seventy-six per cent
of severe collisions occur at intersections,
followed by aggressive driving, vulnerable
road users, and distracted and impaired
driving
The plan recommends more than 100
countermeasures, including engineering and
technology solutions, public engagement,
education and heightened enforcement to
reduce risk of collision. Specific measures
include automated speed enforcement,
intersection improvements, pedestrian and
cycling measures, red light cameras, roundabouts,
school zone speed reductions and
speed feedback boards.
“Traveller safety is a shared responsibility.
This plan’s development is a collaborative
effort between York Region, the
public, all nine local cities and towns, York
Regional Police, school boards and other
road safety partners,” says Tom Mrakas,
Chair of Public Works – Transportation
Services.
“We must continue working together
to protect our most vulnerable road users
including pedestrians, cyclists, seniors, children
and motorcyclists. This is especially
critical as these travellers are more likely
to sustain severe injury or even death when
involved in a collision.”
The Traveller Safety Plan is driven by
international initiative Vision Zero, which
was first implemented in Sweden in the
1990s and attracted widespread attention
by cutting its traffic deaths by half within
20 years. Data will be analyzed yearly to
identify trends and help inform decisions on
where improvements are needed.
Learn more at york.ca/trafficsafety.
Markham among most expensive
cities for car insurance
Markham rounds out the 10 most expensive
cities for car insurance in Ontario,
according to an insurance comparison
service.
In response to an “alarming escalation
in auto theft,” My Choice conducted a study
using both its internal quote data and Ministry
of Transportation data to determine the
correlation between carjacking rates and
auto insurance premiums across Ontario
cities.
The study looked at the carjacking
rates across cities with populations of more
than 100,000 and compared those to the
monthly insurance premiums across the
same cities. The top 10 cities with carjacking
rates per 1,000 people and the average
2024 premium in brackets are North York
(5.42; $2,202) Brampton (5.25; $2,922),
Etobicoke (4.96; $2,030), Scarborough
(3.84; $2,710), Vaughan (3.69; $2,447),
Ajax (3.61; $2,104), Mississauga (3.59;
$2,315), Toronto (3.32; $2,139), Richmond
Hill (2.61; $2,248) and Markham (2.25;
$2,447).
Some 40,510 vehicles of all types were
registered as stolen in Ontario between November
2021 and January 2024, according
to Ministry data. That averages out to more
than 50 thefts a day. For a vehicle to be
registered as stolen, it means the owner has
given it up: it’s gone for good, rather than
taken for a joyride and recovered.
According to a report posted by the
Insurance Bureau of Canada, auto thefts
cause car insurance premiums to rise by
an average of $130 annually for Ontario
drivers. “But that’s only part of the story,”
the report says. “Ontarians are paying more
than $1.6 billion to cover the costs associated
with auto theft, from law enforcement
and court resources to the mental anguish
of being victimized to the general economic
costs.”
The auto theft crisis is also creating
unsafe communities across the country as
many of these thefts are linked to organized
crime and the proceeds are used to fund the
trafficking of guns and drugs, the report
adds. One in four Canadians say either they
or someone they know has had their car
stolen in the last five years.
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