RiderTrainingInstitute
Member
Friends,
As many of you know, the City of Toronto has undertaken a major transportation planning initiative that sets the stage for policy developments which will impact our community well into the future. The city’s new Road Safety Plan, scheduled for council deliberations tomorrow, will see Toronto join a growing number of municipalities around the world in pursuing a Vision Zero approach to road safety. Among the many significant provisions contained in the city’s new Road Safety Plan is the categorization of target groups under the category - Vulnerable Road Users. Like many of you, we were disappointed to see that motorcyclists had been excluded from this important policy category when we received a preliminary copy of the Road Safety Plan a few weeks ago. Our disappointment with this apparent omission was not only compounded by the city’s own collision data which demonstrates the disproportionate risks faced by motorcyclists, but also by the fact that RTI had been working closely with the city on motorcycle outreach initiatives since 2013.
We now have some good news to share…
Since the release of the preliminary report, we have been working closely with various members of Toronto City Council, representatives from the Mayor’s office, as well as key staff in the city’s Transportation Safety Office with a view to amending the Road Safety Plan to better reflect the interests of the motorcycling community. As of today, Toronto’s new Road Safety Plan classifies motorcyclists as Vulnerable Road Users. This significant step is a first for any Canadian municipality, and opens the door to future transportation policy discussions that will enhance the safety and inclusivity afforded to motorcyclists in Toronto.
Additionally, the city has included in the amended Road Safety Plan a commitment to pursue a pilot, motorcycle focused road safety sign campaign. This pilot programme represents another first for Canadian municipalities, and is the result of a proposal that RTI brought to the city 2 years ago. The road safety signs will target high risk collision zones throughout the city, and help communicate to riders the unique risks they face in those areas. We have included some samples of the signs you will be encountering over the next year as the programme is rolled out.
Although we cannot share the amended report in its entirety at this time, we have been granted approval to release a topical excerpt:
New Countermeasure 42 - Motorcycles
Motorcyclists are vulnerable road users. The original RSP submission identified the need for education and awareness campaigns directed at motorcyclists on safety risks and the challenges associated with navigating through certain corridors within the City. As a pilot project, Transportation Services staff will be working with the MTO and the Rider Training Institute in the deployment of road safety signs in high-crash locations targeting the specific risks faced by motorcyclists. (Road Safety Plan (RSP) 2017-2021 – Supplementary Report, July 2016)
RTI will be continuing its presence on the city’s newly struck Road Safety Committee with a view to moving the interests of our community forward. In short, we finally have a voice in the planning of transportation policy that affects us on a daily basis.
Lastly, RTI would like to extend special thanks to the city’s Transportation Safety Office and namely, Roger Browne, for his ongoing support of our community through this complicated process. Additionally, we would like to recognize the efforts of Mayor Tory’s office in advocating on our behalf.
Sincerely,
Rider Training Institute
www.ridertraining.ca
Road Safety Sign Samples
As many of you know, the City of Toronto has undertaken a major transportation planning initiative that sets the stage for policy developments which will impact our community well into the future. The city’s new Road Safety Plan, scheduled for council deliberations tomorrow, will see Toronto join a growing number of municipalities around the world in pursuing a Vision Zero approach to road safety. Among the many significant provisions contained in the city’s new Road Safety Plan is the categorization of target groups under the category - Vulnerable Road Users. Like many of you, we were disappointed to see that motorcyclists had been excluded from this important policy category when we received a preliminary copy of the Road Safety Plan a few weeks ago. Our disappointment with this apparent omission was not only compounded by the city’s own collision data which demonstrates the disproportionate risks faced by motorcyclists, but also by the fact that RTI had been working closely with the city on motorcycle outreach initiatives since 2013.
We now have some good news to share…
Since the release of the preliminary report, we have been working closely with various members of Toronto City Council, representatives from the Mayor’s office, as well as key staff in the city’s Transportation Safety Office with a view to amending the Road Safety Plan to better reflect the interests of the motorcycling community. As of today, Toronto’s new Road Safety Plan classifies motorcyclists as Vulnerable Road Users. This significant step is a first for any Canadian municipality, and opens the door to future transportation policy discussions that will enhance the safety and inclusivity afforded to motorcyclists in Toronto.
Additionally, the city has included in the amended Road Safety Plan a commitment to pursue a pilot, motorcycle focused road safety sign campaign. This pilot programme represents another first for Canadian municipalities, and is the result of a proposal that RTI brought to the city 2 years ago. The road safety signs will target high risk collision zones throughout the city, and help communicate to riders the unique risks they face in those areas. We have included some samples of the signs you will be encountering over the next year as the programme is rolled out.
Although we cannot share the amended report in its entirety at this time, we have been granted approval to release a topical excerpt:
New Countermeasure 42 - Motorcycles
Motorcyclists are vulnerable road users. The original RSP submission identified the need for education and awareness campaigns directed at motorcyclists on safety risks and the challenges associated with navigating through certain corridors within the City. As a pilot project, Transportation Services staff will be working with the MTO and the Rider Training Institute in the deployment of road safety signs in high-crash locations targeting the specific risks faced by motorcyclists. (Road Safety Plan (RSP) 2017-2021 – Supplementary Report, July 2016)
RTI will be continuing its presence on the city’s newly struck Road Safety Committee with a view to moving the interests of our community forward. In short, we finally have a voice in the planning of transportation policy that affects us on a daily basis.
Lastly, RTI would like to extend special thanks to the city’s Transportation Safety Office and namely, Roger Browne, for his ongoing support of our community through this complicated process. Additionally, we would like to recognize the efforts of Mayor Tory’s office in advocating on our behalf.
Sincerely,
Rider Training Institute
www.ridertraining.ca
Road Safety Sign Samples