John Tory says he's willing to take steps to protect pedestrians, cyclists

Mayor John Tory says he is absolutely open to more funding for cycling and pedestrian safety projects on Toronto streets and added people will be surprised at how far he would go.

Tory spoke on CBC Radio's Metro Morningon Monday following a spate of collisions across the city, including one that left a cyclist dead. On Sunday, three cyclists were struck in the span of just four hours, while there were several pedestrians hit by cars, as well.

"That kind of carnage is unacceptable,"Tory said.

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The city is tackling the issue through several measures, including its proposed road safety plan,which councillors will vote on this week,and additional funding for cycling infrastructure, Tory said.

Critics, however, have blasted Tory's plans as timid and said the city needs to invest in infrastructure if it wants to eliminate deadly collisions. Even Coun. Jaye Robinson, who is leading the motion, admits it's "far from perfect."

So can Torontonians expect Tory to take bold steps on the issue?

"I think people will be surprised at the degree to which I am open to some big change," Tory said.

The mayor pointed to the fact thatthere are more people sharing the road than ever before andsaid he still favours creating separated bike lanes"because they are safer."

Tory also noted that while the city is spending a comparable amount of money as other cities in this area, he's willing to spend more, though he didn't say exactly how much or when those funds would be spent.

Attitude vs. infrastructure

Last week, urban planner Kyle Miller urged Tory to focus on creating safe infrastructure for cyclists and pedestrians.

Tory's efforts to change attitudes of drivers toward vulnerable road users were notenough, Miller said. In fact, based on Toronto police collision reports, there were more crashes after Tory made a statement calling for safer roads.

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Tory said he agrees that many roads in Toronto need to be redesigned, specifically citing suburban streets where a long walk is required to catch transit, but attitudes of all roads users need to change, too.

"It does need to start with people in cars, they're surrounded by two tonnes of steel," Tory said.

In terms of planning, the mayor noted the city's planner, Jennifer Keesmaat,is working on several projects to improve pedestrian safety.

Traffic fatalities in the city reached their highest level in five years in 2015. That's whena total of 64 people died, including 38 pedestrians and four cyclists.