SENT: June 27, 2018
Councillor Mark Grimes
Toronto City Hall
100 Queen Street West
Toronto, Ontario M5H 2N2
councillor_grimes@toronto.ca
Re: Traffic Safety in Mimico
Dear Councillor Grimes,
I am writing to you on behalf of the Mimico Residents Association (MRA) to formally request that the feasibility of additional initiatives to promote traffic safety in Mimico be further assessed. This issue has been of critical concern to Mimico residents for many years and has been highlighted by recent tragedies in our neighbourhood. As you are aware, there have been two serious traffic related injuries – one involving a child pedestrian and one involving a cyclist – on Stanley Avenue in Mimico in the past two months alone.
The MRA recognizes the recent initiatives you have proposed and/or supported to address traffic safety concerns in Mimico. This includes the motions adopted at City Council meetings in May and June to enhance overall traffic safety, reducing speed limits on key Mimico streets, and requesting additional speed limit enforcement by Toronto Police Services. While these are all important steps to improving traffic safety, and we appreciate the work you have done to date, the community believes that more concrete steps are needed to secure the safety of pedestrians, cyclists, and other vulnerable road users in Mimico.
Given the continued increase in the number of cars travelling through our residential streets, we request that your office consider additional initiatives to promote traffic safety. While this issue is complex and impacted by multiple factors, further investigation and community consultation is warranted. On behalf of the Mimico community, we request that the following actions be considered.
- Organize a community consultation in Mimico that includes Toronto Police and city staff to ensure that community concerns around traffic safety are heard and addressed
- Request city staff conduct street design assessments of key Mimico streets (e.g. Stanley Ave, Mimico Ave, Manitoba St, etc.) to explore design features that could be implemented to reduce vehicular speeds in these areas.
- As soon as possible and throughout the consultation and assessment process, implement/reinstate live speed monitoring signs on key streets near schools in Mimico (e.g. Stanley Ave, Mimico Ave) to provide immediate feedback to drivers who exceed posted speed limits.
The city’s current strategy for improving road safety is failing the residents of Mimico and decisive action is needed to improve road safety and possibly save lives. We look forward to hearing from you soon on this important matter.
Sincerely,
Chris Moore
President
Mimico Residents Association
cc: John Tory, Mayor – City of Toronto, mayor_tory@toronto.ca