Today, Mississauga City Council approved the reinstatement of the Road Safety Advisory Committee.
“Road safety is a priority. We need to ensure our citizens travel safely whether as a driver, cyclist or pedestrian,” said Pat Saito, Councillor Ward 9. “No fatality is acceptable but engineering alone cannot solve the problems on our roads. By reinstating the Road Safety Committee to support the work of our Traffic staff, we can implement more educational programs and involve our citizens in making our roads safer for all.”
The next step is to define the committee’s terms of reference.
“Our primary concern is the safety of all road users in Mississauga,” said Geoff Wright, Commissioner, Transportation and Works. “Our newly developed Road Safety Program is aimed at reducing road fatalities and injuries to zero. This will be done by creating greater awareness about road safety and providing resources and information to the public.”
According to the Ontario Road Safety Annual Report (ORSAR), Mississauga has the second lowest, yearly average collision rate of 9.91 per a population of 1,000 between 2008 and 2013. Compared to other Ontario municipalities, Mississauga also has the lowest yearly average fatal/injury collision rate of 2.48 per a population of 1,000.
“Whether you are a pedestrian, cyclist or motorist, our Road Safety Program takes detailed measures to improve road safety in Mississauga and reduce the risk of people getting injured,” added Wright.
To date, the City has already implemented:
- traffic calming measures
- traffic data collection and analysis
- education campaigns
- awareness programs
- and enforcement
Future initiatives include lowering speed limits, automated speed enforcement and pedestrian crossovers.
In addition, Wright explained road safety is at the centre of the City’s first Transportation Master
Plan – Mississauga Moves; a city-wide strategy and action plan for Mississauga’s transportation system.
For more information about the Road Safety Program, visit mississauga.ca/roadsafety.