Deputation to the City's of Hamilton General Issues Committee of Council about pedestrian safety in Hamilton. This deputation was in support of Hamilton's Pedestrian Mobility Plan and asked for the City to also adopt a Complete Streets policy.
4. Hamilton as a percentage of Ontario's...
Population
4.0%
Fatal and injury motor vehicle collisions
4.1%
Pedestrian commuters
3.8%
5.4%
Pedestrian injuries and fatalities
Cyclist commuters
Cyclist injuries and fatalities
35%-42% higher risk of
injury for pedestrians in
Hamilton compared to
Ontario
3.2%
5.8%
45%-81% higher risk of
injury for cyclists in
Hamilton compared to
Ontario
Data sources: 2010 Ontario Road Safety Report; 2008-2010 Hamilton Traffic Safety Status Report;
2011 Census; 2006 Census (Long form)
5. “This is an urgent issue. Seniors feel more
and more trapped in their own
homes, because crossing major
intersections is more and more difficult. It’s
harder and harder to get around because
our streets are not safe.”
Corey Booker, Mayor
Newark, New Jersey
Newark adopted a Complete Streets policy in 2012
6. Pedestrians
killed on
Hamilton’s
streets,
in the last year
Kitty Macleod, 87
Governor’s Road and
Overfield (St. Joseph’s Villa)
December 2 2012, 9:30 am
Woman, 72 (name withheld)
Wentworth North and Aikman
February 13, 2013, 3:40 pm
Woman, 83 (name withheld)
Upper Gage and Mohawk
May 15 2013, 5:00 pm
Man, 85 (name withheld)
Barton East and Kenora
August 30th, 10:00 am
Woman, 86 (name withheld)
Main West and Ray
Hit and run
September 30 2013, 2:00 pm
(By coincidence, the next day, Councillors debated
widening sidewalks on that part of Main St.,
but postponed the decision to a later date.)
Zoë Nudell, 33
Charlton East and Wentworth South
Impaired driver
October 30 2013, 6:00 pm
8. Risky streets as a % of total streets
City of Hamilton
1.5%
3.8%
Neighbourhood Action Strategy boundaries
2.4 times as likely
to have risky roads
Data source: 2008-2012 Network Risk Screening, City of Hamilton. Based on top 60 streets rated by City as highest risk. Chart
based on total street kms that have been screened as having highest risk, compared to overall street kms. Data was aggregated
to Neighbourhood Action Strategy Boundaries by the author using geographic information systems software.
10. Urban streets are a scarce and valuable resource.
How they are designed and managed represents
an allocation of public resources that should
balance various objectives:
Cost effective mobility
User convenience and comfort
Overall accessibility
Safety and security
Fairness for non-drivers
Local economic development
Todd Litman, Victoria Transport Policy Institute:
Evaluating Complete Streets: The Value of Designing Roads For Diverse Modes, Users
and Activities (2013)
11. Now over 500 Complete Streets
policies adopted in US.
Large cities and small towns are adopting Complete Streets policies
to help them achieve a better balance on their streets
and improve quality of life for all residents.
12. Draft Complete Streets Policy for Hamilton (Copy provided)
Over 100 residents involved in the development of this policy.
Most of text is adapted from policies adopted in various other jurisdictions
PART I: INTRODUCTION
1. Definition
2. Context
3. Purpose
4. Supportive Vision, Values, Strategic Priorities and Policies
PART II: PRINCIPLES
5. Objectives
6. Funding
PART III: IMPLEMENTATION
7. Operation
8. Exception mechanism
PART IV: MONITORING
9. Progress Reporting and Measures of Success
10. Open Data
11. Complete Streets Advisory Committee
13. In the Rapid Ready report, City committed to the
“Development and Implementation of a Complete
Streets Strategy/Policy” as part of the 5-year
Transportation Master Plan review.
I ask you today to move a motion to send this draft
Complete Streets policy to staff for consideration as
part of the review of the Transportation Master Plan.
14. “Walkability was identified as a
key to sustainable growth by
Hamilton’s Economic Summit.
But it is much more than that. It
is also a key to an age-friendly
city — an inclusive and
accessible urban environment
that promotes active aging and
improves the quality of life for all
members of society.”
Margaret Denton, President
Hamilton Council on Aging
(Hamilton Spectator, Jun 16, 2011)
“The good news is that
Complete Streets is no
longer a radical concept
in Hamilton due to the
success experienced in
other cities around the
world.”
Keanin Loomis, President
Hamilton Chamber of
Commerce
(Hamilton Spectator, September 25, 2013)
Editor's Notes
Thank you Mr. Deputy Mayor, Mayor Bratina, and Councillors. My deputation will have two parts:First, I will bring you a preview of new data we have analyzed that supports the need for a Pedestrian Mobility Plan. Second, I will explain why the city still need a Complete Streets policy, an example of which we have prepared and distributed.
We have analyzed existing data from Hamilton’s Traffic Safety Status report and the Ontario Road Safety reports and found that pedestrians and cyclists are at a higher risk of injury in Hamilton than Ontario.
This chart shows that Hamilton is 4% of Ontario’s population and we are similarly 4.1% of Ontario’s motor vehicle collisions. But we are 5.4% of Ontario’s pedestrian injuries and fatalities and we are 5.8% of Ontario’s cyclists injuries and fatalities. Given that we also have lower rates of commuting by walking and bike (as shown in the chart), this means that the risk of injury for pedestrians is 35%-42% higher in Hamilton compared to Ontario and for cyclists the risk is 45-81% higher.
Politicians around North America are recognizing that our streets are unsafe and starting to take action. Here’s a quote from Corey Brooker, then Mayor of Newark now US Senator, speaking especially about the effects of unsafe streets for seniors.
In Hamilton, we sadly know that reality very well. Here’s information on the last 6 pedestrians killed on our streets in Hamilton, 5 were seniors. Each of these seniors were crossing the road in broad daylight. Our aging population makes safer streets even more urgent. Many councilors would know these tragedies well and councilors and staff have worked to improve some of these intersections, after their deaths. The Pedestrian Mobility Plan will help the city do more to prevent deaths like this. Cities like Vancouver and Chicago have set a goal of eliminating all pedestrian deaths.
Another reason to support the Pedestrian Mobility Plan is its strong links with the Neighbourhood Development Strategy. This will be an important way to decrease inequities between neighbourhoods and make sure we no longer have sidewalks that look like this.
This chart is based on the City’s Network Screening analysis of Hamilton riskiest roads. Our analysis of this data shows that the areas within the boundaries of the Neighbourhood Development Strategy have a higher rate of their streets being categorized as high risk, compared to the city overall. The Pedestrian Mobility Plan will help reduce that gap.
Adopting this Pedestrian Mobility Plan is a very important, but we Hamilton will still need a Complete Streets Policy.
A complete streets policy helps in achieving balance between important objectives that we all share: Cost effective mobilityUser convenience and comfort Overall accessibilitySafety and security Fairness for non-driversLocal economic development
Over 500 Communities have adopted Complete Streets Policies, including Edmonton, Calgary and Waterloo in Canada and are starting to reap the economic, social and health benefits.
I have provided you a copy of a Complete Streets policy that was prepared by the Social Planning and Research Council with the input of over 100 residents.
The bolded parts indicate the main sections of a Complete Streets policy that are not part of the Pedestrian Mobility Plan. For example: an exception mechanism. It’s important to have a Complete Streets policy that has a clear mechanism for exceptions, because we know they will happen, a complete streets policy ensures they are documented an approved at a high level, to increase transparency and accountability for these exceptions.
There are many voices in many sectors in Hamilton for these kinds of policies. I will leave you with these quotes from the Hamilton Council on Aging and the Chamber of Commerce as two examples. You also have a letter of support from the Durand Neighbourhood Association. Thank you for your time.
