Elections
Do you support the "Vision Zero" goal of eliminating traffic fatalities and serious injuries in Hamilton? If so, what specific actions would you take to implement this policy? If not, why not?
Responses to the question: "Do you support the "Vision Zero" goal of eliminating traffic fatalities and serious injuries in Hamilton? If so, what specific actions would you take to implement this policy? If not, why not?"
In This Page:
53 Candidate Responses (top)
| Mayor | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Brief Response | Full Response |
| Davis, Jim | No | Traffic accidents will always exist until we can come up with a computer system to keep cars at a safe distance. We seen the other day pedestrian/auto accidents will always be an issue until people start crossing in the designated area. |
| Eisenberger, Fred | Yes | Yes I support Vision Zero goals 100 per cent. We must change our way of thinking. We must: Focus on fatalities and serious injuries; focus on flaws in the transportation system identified as cause of collisions; focus on perfecting road system for imperfect human behaviour; Focus on safety initiatives to reduce accidents and therefore societal costs. |
| Gomes, Carlos | Yes | Yes, I support vision zero. I plan to release an app that will allow anyone to snap a photo of anyone talking or texting while operating a motored vechile. Before their were vicheles everywhere only the rich could afford to drive, as they became more affordable, ppl got killed by these vechiles, just because simple the rich thought and still think their lives are more important than ours. It didn't happen back then but it will happen now, no matter who you are. If u live or drive in Hamilton weather you are pulled over by the bacon or are reported anonymously the APP a person will receive the minimum fine of a one month without driving privileges and a fine equal to of their vechile being impounded for that month. Why do u think, people from different countries in our world don't steal? Especially after losing their hand. We need stricter laws. |
| Graydon, Edward HC | N/A | No response provided |
| Pattison, Michael | Yes | Vision Zero is a very commendable action strategy. I believe the city should have the right to be an underwriter/signatory on all auto insurance policies/driver licensing of those living within the Municipality. My rationality is that we, the citizens of Hamilton, should have the right to make someone uninsurable/license validity, if they amass to many infractions and/or obviously have no respect for the road or others. Drivers so easily forget that a car is a tool not a weapon. If used carelessly, the privilege of its use should be revoked. This also goes a long way to reducing auto insurance costs which are very high in this city compared with other municipalities. |
| Schmid-Jones, Ute | Yes | Of course we would all hope to see our streets as safe as possible. I'm not sure it will ever be possible to completely eliminate 100% of accidents, but I would celebrate every movement we can make in that direction. Perhaps we could start with a policy statement at council that acknowledges that saving lives is more important than minimizing the time of people's commutes, and converting more one way thoroughfares to two way traffic would likely go a long way towards making people safer. Calgary is currently considering reducing speed limits in the city core to 30 km per hour, and that sort of thing would also save lives if we considered it here. Ultimately, though, it's going to be hard to change people's driving patterns, so that's a process of public education and changing driving habit norms so that more drivers understand that the law requires them to give cyclists a safe zone of clearance and so on, and that's really what will have to happen if we ultimately intend to make our streets as safe as we can. |
| Sgro, Vito | N/A | Please use our website vitosgroformayor.ca as the the answer to the provided questions. |
| Tavares, Ricky | N/A | How much are you going to pay me ? $100 and I will communicate with you at your basic level. Otherwise you are useless to me and Hamilton. |
| Wozny, Mark | Yes | Some take the position that traffic fatalaties are reduced by one-way streets and proper signal regulation. I take the middle position.
As long as there is a mixture of both one-way and two-way streets, the option tends to 'tame' traffic congestion and stress. Two-way strees assist in reducing the pace of both vehicular and pedestrian traffic. Jacobs has noted how some congestion creates more vitality for businesses and encourages the social intercourse that we call community. |
| Yan, Nathalie Xian Yi | Yes | It is a absolutely responsible for the municipal government implant a practical and effective policy and a plan how to manage the traffic signs to eliminate cyclists death to promote to share the road, pedestrian, cyclist and make a safe secure community all together |
| Ward 01 | ||
| Candidate | Brief Response | Full Response |
| Allen, Jason | Yes | I have written about the need for a Vision Zero program for many years now, and would fully support such a measure. I would support it by requiring the city to track and publish statistics about accident prone intersections, enabling us to quickly determine where to focus our efforts. The city also needs to fund a Vision Zero office within the traffic department with a mandate for proposing changes to intersections that are a safety hazard. |
| Anderson, Sharon | Yes | Yes. I would work with City staff to develop a network view of this issue and make sure that when reconstruction projects come forward that the design prioritizes achieving Vision Zero. I would refuse to support projects which do not do this work. I would insist that capital project scheduling decisions include consideration of the current level of accidents occurring in a proposed project area. I would vote to make public information on the location of traffic fatalities and injuries throughout the City in an easily accessed format so that residents can make informed judgements on whether the City is doing enough to address issues in their neighbourhood. I would work with my fellow Councillors to develop and fund a program to improve areas in the absence of a reconstruction project being planned for an area. |
| Cole, Sharon | Yes | I believe in the spirit of 'Vision Zero' adopted by a number of municipalities around the globe, which challenges all of us to achieve zero fatalities and serious injuries, by re-thinking road safety. To make human error part of the equation and thereby aim for safer streets through improved education, enforcement, engineering, evaluation and engagement. My initial emphasis would be on engineering, ensuring bike lane designs that have effective barrier protection and warning systems (signage, lighting) to alert drivers, pedestrians and cyclists. |
| Eroglu, Ela | Yes | There is no question about it. I absolutely support the intention behind Vision Zero and eliminating traffic fatalities and injuries on our streets. Cycling is in my platform. I believe dedicated, protected bike lanes should be part of every road design. I believe that every road with a speed limits of over 30 km/hr should have a protected bike lane. I will work with other councillors to implement a strategy that includes safe and continuous routes that connects communities across the city and motivates people to ride their bikes more.
Increasing the number of protected bike lanes is vital. Riding on streets mixed with fast moving cars is unsafe and stressful. Protected lanes will help reduce stress not only for cyclists but also for drivers and reduce the conflicts between all road users. It encourages more people to ride their bikes and promotes health. Protected bike lanes and protected intersections are key for biking accessible for cyclists ranging from experienced to those who are just starting. I think it should be mandatory design element for all new road designs and incorporated into the existing roads if possible. |
| Geffros, Sophie | Yes | Vision Zero saves lives. It is the obligation of Hamilton City Council to commit to and finance achieving this vision. In addition to the ongoing consultation and feedback the following changes must be implemented to ensure safety:
1. Any pedestrian crossing by a bus stop, school, park or community hub must be a four-way stop. 2. The City of Hamilton should encourage cycling as a method of transportation. All high-traffic routes must have designated bike lanes. 3. In 2016, 279 pedestrian collisions took place in Hamilton, resulting in 257 injuries and 4 fatalities. Council must fund a pedestrian audit of the city, with particular emphasis on the needs of those with mobility concerns. 4. We must consult with road users, residents, and drivers in order to develop a new policy regarding transport trucks on our streets. Trucking routes, whenever possible, must be re-routed away from residential streets and school zones 5. An "urban highway" has no place in the core of a modern city. Steps must be taken to limit the amount and speed of traffic using Main St. and King St. W., and consideration should be given to making these streets two-way. |
| Massie, Richard | Yes | Yes, the number of serious injuries and deaths on our streets in Hamilton has me supporting "Vision Zero" goals - we need to start with shorter crossing distances to pedestrian islands, better markings, cyclist routes chosen where there can be greater space from cars, and more space between where cars stop and pedestrian crosswalks. |
| Miklos, Lyla | Yes | We can only achieve this goal through education, enforcement and better street design. Right now pedestrians, cyclists and motorists seem to constantly be fighting with each other rather than working together. I have seen some amazing models of "safe street" designs that include LRT, but sadly it seems that every time we add a bike lane or another element to our streets it isn't done with any real consultation from those who will be using those spaces to get around the city. There is a lack of thoughtfulness and practicality to the addition and implementation. A holistic approach that looks at how we can collaboratively and safely share the roads collectively would be my dream. |
| Narducci, Linda | Yes | Absolutely and very strongly yes, I support Vision Zero. If having neighbours injured or worse, fatalities due to traffic, the fact that Vision Zero is a global movement, should be enough reasons to support it. I travel along Main Street and King Street, from Dundurnto Ottawa Street and can vaguely recall seeing speed limit signs posted. I walk along this same corridor throughout Ward 1; speed along Main and King corridor needs to be decreased. The speed may be 50km, most drive these two arteries up to 70km. It would be nice to have a police presence with radar along these corridors as well as more red light cameras. All these I see as short term strategies. Ultimately, I support Main Street and King Street two way conversion. |
| White, Harrison | Yes | I do support the Vision Zero movement that was initiated in Sweden in 1997. Vision Zero is important, especially to me, because I was severally injured by a careless driver in a preventable accident, in Ward 1 no less. Previous councillors have not spent much of their infrastructure budget to improve the lives of citizens. I would like to see that money, at least portions of it, spent rather than saved. I would like to see the implementation of protected bike lanes at busy intersections and completed bike routes rather than partial lanes throughout the city. I want to improve density in the city to provide more reliable and effective public transit. I would propose a motion to switch to a bi-weekly garbage collection system to provide additional funding to the 20-year cycling master plan, which is currently only being funded to about half it’s recommended amount. I want to see more solar-powered pedestrian and cycle activated cross-walks installed throughout the city. I would like to see increased fines on King and Main for speeding, as well as other traffic calming implementations for busy areas. There is plenty of cost-effective methods to reduce speeds of vehicles, as well as increase safety in street design, we must be willing to A.C.T. on it. As someone who could have lost their life to a traffic accident, I understand the importance of creating safe streets in our city. |
| Wilson, Maureen | Yes | Of course I support the goal of Vision Zero, but, in the absence of an action plan this goal, just like the City’s vision to be the best place to raise a child and age successfully, will go unrealized. A commitment to specific and measurable actions are needed to lift it from the page and to put it into practice. New York City has led the way in its efforts to realize Vision Zero. If the Big Apple can do it, surely Hamilton can follow suit.
1. Enforcement There is a direct relationship between the level of police enforcement and pedestrian fatalities. The CBC crunched the data in Toronto and found that as the number of traffic tickets declined over the past number of years, the number of cyclist and pedestrian fatalities increased. Our Hamilton Police Service (HPS) must work in partnership with the City of Hamilton to support the goal of Vision Zero. 2. Education The municipality must commit to an education program that continuously informs residents about the changes that must accompany a move to Vision Zero and the reasoning behind it. 3. (re)Engineering The infamous street of death in NYC, Queen's Boulevard, has now recorded zero pedestrian and cycling deaths from cars with the engineering out of consequences of human error. The city did this by redesigning the street. In so doing, the street is also safer for drivers. - lanes were narrowed - bike lanes were added - crosswalks were shortened by widening medians - pedestrians and cyclists were given advanced greens 4 Bike Lanes NYC now boasts 738 km of protected bike lanes. There is no protection for cyclists with a strip of paint added to our roads. This is especially the case for our most vulnerable cyclists - children and seniors. In the world of Vision Zero, bike lanes are protected and continuous. There is plenty of evidence from across North America showing that more people will ride their bikes if they believe the route to be safe. And protected bike lanes make for safer cycling. The more people travel to work, school or play by bike, the fewer cars end up on our roads. Bike lanes can help, not hurt, a city's overall traffic congestion and provide a greater level of certainty for car and truck drivers. 5 . Control Speeding New York City reduced its default speed to 40 km/hour and put in more oversight. One of the tools they used was the placement of speed cameras in school zones. The data reveals that this had the effect of cutting speeding during school hours by more than half. There is substantial research showing that speed kills. When a collision does occur, the chances of surviving the collision is directly related to how fast the vehicle was traveling. Fatalities in NYC school zones with speed cameras has dropped by 55% and injuries are down 15%. I support a speed limit of 30 km/hour throughout our neighbourhoods and school zones and would also ask for enabling legislation from the Province to allow for automated speed cameras in school zones. 5. Build Better Transit A quality, more accessible, more reliable transit system will encourage fewer private cars on the road. This will save lives. 6. Complete Communities - Land Use Planning The goal of achieving zero road deaths is also linked to how we design our neighbourhoods. Complete neighbourhoods with mixed use and dense form will offer more citizens the opportunity to walk to their urban amenities, rather than drive. Fewer cars means fewer deaths. 7. Collision Data & Fair Action The city must collect and share with residents all collision data for the purpose of identifying collision areas and patterns. The data can be used to identify root causes and help structure real solutions. At present, the city places the onus for securing street calming and speed reduction efforts (eg. speed bumps) at the feet of residents. This resident driven system is necessarily inequitable. There are some residents who may have more time and resources to advocate and organize. Every child and adult, regardless of their postal code, deserves safe passage to school, to play and to work. The City of Hamilton must have a fair and responsive Vision Zero plan that is equitable in its orientation and 8. Truck Route Review The City of Hamilton must lead a new truck route review, matched with enforcement, to end transport trucks from shortcutting through our residential neighbourhoods. 9. Political Will In my opinion, this is the most important tool in the Vision Zero toolkit. In the absence of political will, Vision Zero remains a nice sounding slogan that changes nothing. The city of Hamilton's vision is to be the best place to raise a child and to age successfully. We must align our ideas, our actions and our budget to support our vision. As Ward 1 Hamilton City Councillor, I am committed to an action plan that will get us to Vision Zero. |
| Ward 02 | ||
| Candidate | Brief Response | Full Response |
| Daljeet, Suresh Venodh | Yes | Yes to Vision Zero. It's a proven concept. I will push to reduce speeds, look at rerouting trucks from residential areas and make safer cycling and pedestrian routes. Everyone has to be accountable for road safety, drivers, pedestrians and cyclists. I think we need better education, more visible signage and an updated compressive traffic plan across the city which includes getting more people out of vehicles and onto transit.
|
| Farr, Jason | Yes | I support Vision Zero. As Councillor, I believe the actions I continue to take with respect to a complete street focus in our downtown is evidence of this. These actions are important steps toward eliminating traffic fatalities. Let me list a few:
- Approx. 10 kms of new bike lanes - Charlton / Herkimer Parking Protected Bike Lanes (thanks to the resident-led sub-committee of 2 Neighbourhood Associations). - Bay Street Bike Lane (thanks to council and the Province for the support) - North End Traffic Management Plan (NETMP) (even today there are some residents resisting, but I maintain support and stay positive when interacting with those who still question the needs of 30k speeds, knock-downs, speed-humps and more). - Two-way conversions of Duke and Bold (many RTH regulars attended my Town Hall on this and heard from residents resistant to the idea. They were citing faster and more traffic, snow removal and parking issues as reasons for resistance, but they were also very concerned about the current safety these one-way residential cut-trough speed-ways were causing – results are in, there half the cut-throughs and lower speeds since the conversion along with a net-gain in parking). - John Street North Contra-Flow Bike Lane (John was to be converted two way and residents immediately adjacent were sceptical – with a main argument that thousands of new residents to Pier 8 would have a direct line in and out on this residential street. They called a meeting and we quickly realized that all of us were on the same page – we wanted to slow traffic down especially in the area of the two schools and North End Community Health Centre. We just had different approaches. The John Street tweak to the NETMP we see today was led by these residents). - Queen Street South 2 Way conversion – No other street in the City of Hamilton has received calming measures as much as this stretch. What started with a community audit with Brian McHattie and me and many devoted residents (we also walked Cannon pre-bike lane), led to some quick wins, then some safer pedestrian crossings and intersection works. This term, I successfully moved the 40 km limit and was supported at Council. We also have seen many other calming and pedestrian safety measures (notably at Herkimer and Queen). But with all the work we have done, there are some car commuters not getting the message. Finally, with this year’s two-way conversion design and next years installation, we are hoping that Queen south becomes the model safe street in the City. I have also moved successfully a motion that Hamilton sign the Road Safety Pledge campaign and I regularly work closely and collaboratively with City of Hamilton staff from Traffic and Transportation Demand Management (TDM) on a wide range of neighbourhood safety installations. We encourage neighbourhood traffic safety audits and have traffic and TDM staff attend community meetings. Speeding and aggressive driving are the leading cause of collisions and fatalities and with our city hovering around 3500 collisions annually and very tragically witnessing 16 fatalities in 2017, it is clear that road safety needs to remain the focus and we must understand and appreciate and support the Vision Zero mandate. |
| Kroetsch, Cameron | Yes | Yes, I am a strong supporter of “Vision Zero”. In concert with other cities around the world, I would propose that we reduce speed limits across the city, but especially downtown. I would also propose that we implement a mandatory complete streets program for all new development. Specifically for Ward 2, I would propose plans for the conversion of Main Street to a two-way complete street and to phase out one-way streets downtown. Beyond this, I would focus more on physical street design. Speed humps and stop signs are not enough. We need to focus on designing streets that discourage and prevent unsafe driving so that all road users can get around the city safely. We cannot continue to rely on a system that accepts that an error in the operation of a motor vehicle can so easily mean the death of another road user. |
| Smith, Nicole | Yes | We urgently need to work toward this. Besides the system of continuous protected bike lanes, we need to reduce the speed on our street by implementing two way streets as much as possible, especially Main, and using the most effective speed reduction options available to us. |
| Tennant, Mark | Yes | I support the Vision Zero goal that even one traffic fatality is unacceptable. People will make mistakes but the road system will not. With improved awareness of my part, I would advocate to implement the 5 elements of Vision Zero. |
| Ward 03 | ||
| Candidate | Brief Response | Full Response |
| Bureau, Alain | Yes | |
| Farr, Laura | Yes | Traffic safety is the number one thing I have heard at the doors from people. The other day, my son and I were nearly hit crossing with the lights at King and Wentworth. In 2017, there were 1681 collisions that resulted in injuries and 16 fatalities. Our city needs to be livable if you are 8 or 80; pedestrian, cyclist, or driver.
There are many traffic calming measures that don’t cost much or anything to implement. The first thing would be to create a schedule for a comprehensive traffic audit across the ward, and then see where speed bumps, knock down sticks, bollards, or even painted optical illusions to slow traffic down are needed. |
| Kuruc, Ned | Yes | I support the goal of Vision Zero. It is important that Hamilton take further action to mitigate traffic in our neighbourhoods, provide infrastructure that keeps cyclists safe and expand defined pedestrian zones on busy corners. |
| Nann, Nrinder | Yes | I wholeheartedly support Vision Zero. Every accident is one too many. We know traffic fatalities and injuries are a result of poor street designs.
* I will advocate for a city-wide review of road design with an eye to finding systematic and consistent solutions to traffic calming * I will explore all traffic calming options including two-way conversion, speed humps and speed limit reductions * I will advocate for upgrading our road design with a mind to complete streets, cycling, walking and crossing safely |
| Smith, Dan | Yes | I do support this. As a father of two young girls that ride bikes on the road regularly and someone that has been hit by a car while biking, we do need safer streets. I would like to see traffic calming measures such as speed bumps and speed traps in more of the city. |
| Sprague, Kristeen | Yes | I do support the "Vision Zero" goal of eliminating traffic fatalities and serious injuries in Hamilton. I think we need to continue to identify high risk areas and make appropriate improvements to safety controls in those areas. I also think it's important to make improvements to pedestrian, bus, and bicycle infrastructure to make sure that people can get from place-to-place safely. I think this effort goes hand-in-hand with making improvements to the accessibility of "green" forms of transportation, because this can get more cars off of the roads. |
| Ward 04 | ||
| Candidate | Brief Response | Full Response |
| Merulla, Sam | Yes | I have been a strong supporter of complete streets and cycling lanes with a documented proven track record. |
| Ward 05 | ||
| Candidate | Brief Response | Full Response |
| Yes | ||
| Maldonado, Juanita | Yes | Our community is strengthened by a collaborative bond between law enforcement, municipal government and its residents. We have had several tragic fatalities in Ward 5 along Queenston Road as a result of speed-racing. Separating pedestrian and cycling traffic from drivers is a suggested way to reduce or even eliminate injuries and fatalities. |
| Ward 06 | ||
| Candidate | Brief Response | Full Response |
| Jackson, Tom | Yes | In theory of course I do support “Vision Zero”. A noble objective indeed. “How” we achieve this as a people/Community is the competing conundrum. In my Ward 6 (and quite frankly elsewhere in the City) I have supported and fought for traffic calming measures such as 40km/hr. speed zone signs; installing more Red Lite Cameras/Painting Zebra Crosswalks/extended pedestrian countdown signals/more Intersection Pedestrian Signals (IPS) locations/greater police enforcement; banning heavy trucks off of the Kenilworth Access, etc.. |
| Taylor, Timothy | Yes | I support a Vision Zero goal. I think accident statistics and due diligence in tendering projects to support companies that support this initiative are paramount to achieving the goals. In addition, giving our city employees the tools (and time) they need to finish jobs properly instead of rushing to the next catastrophe. |
| Ward 07 | ||
| Candidate | Brief Response | Full Response |
| Benson, Steve | No | It goes without saying that I support “Vision Zero” but, yet again, the City has taken a different approach to what studies have shown.
If you take a look at the Zero Vision portion of the City’s website, it is clear that the majority of traffic related issues are not the fault of the drivers at all. The majority of incidents involve bicyclists and pedestrians who do not obey basic traffic laws. The City however feels that speed is the main issue and has reduced speed limits throughout the city and implemented a strategy called “Traffic Calming” whereby the traffic lights are timed to turn red at each intersection with the intent of slowing drivers down. This is backward thinking since it creates increasingly dangerous scenarios with drivers being frustrated with the constant stop and go situation and vehicles clogging the streets in areas occupied by cyclists and pedestrians. Often times turning down residential sides street speeding to by pass the congestion. This causes yet another very dangerous situation. Not to mention the air quality of all these idling cars in a confined areas such as downtown. The real solution is public education and allowing traffic to flow. We need to install proper countdown pedestrian walk lights and enforce this in congested areas and where needed pedestrian cross walks equipped with large cross walk and flashing overhead lights.. We also have to implement serious penalties for cyclists who feel they are above the law by dangerously weaving in and out of traffic and running red lights. With more and more cyclists sharing our roads, perhaps it’s time to institute an education/licensing program. |
| Kazubek, Joseph | Yes | I do support vision zero, but I only have limited knowledge of the project and would need to learn more about it before I can give a full response to this question, but anything that will improve safety among the streets, will always have my support. |
| MacIntyre, Dan | Yes | Yes. Full stop. Many of our neighbourhoods need immediate traffic calming measures such as reductions to 30 km/h and speed bumps. It’s a demand from residents and it’s the morally correct thing to do. Many of our major arteries have become speedways and that can’t continue. Measures need to be taken to ensure these activities are eliminated. Protected bike lanes are coming to Hamilton Mountain, you can’t stop the future. But Mountain residents resoundingly are against painted lines and want protection for cyclists if they’re going to be sharing the road.
|
| McMullen, Geraldine | Yes | Yes, I support the premise of “Vision Zero”. I am interested in learning more about the improvements and investments necessary to achieve the goal of eliminating traffic fatalities and injuries. Input from the entire community is necessary and the importance of achieving this goal will need to be communicated. |
| Pauls, Esther | Yes | Yes advocate for more multi use pathways (Cycle and walk). |
| Ward 08 | ||
| Candidate | Brief Response | Full Response |
| Danko, John-Paul | Yes | Yes, I support vision zero. Most vision zero changes are relatively low cost and would have minimal impact on car drivers (such as slightly narrower lanes to accommodate more space for other road users and 30km/h speed limits in residential areas). I think that Hamilton's engineering staff are well aware of the simple design changes required to achieve many vision zero goals - but a lot of the time it requires the political support of the area Councillor to |
| Wicken, Colleen | Yes | As I understand it, Vision Zero looks at serious injuries and fatalities as opposed to the current way of thinking which is "Collision Rates and Cause" Vision Zero would engage the community in making all roads safer for all Hamiltonian's. We need to promote community engagement so our residents know we are listening, we appreciate their input and contributions to this important decision which ultimately involves the safety of all Hamiltonian's. Sadly we also need to educate our cyclists as to the rules of the road and pedestrians who continue to step out from the curb into traffic. |
| Ward 10 | ||
| Candidate | Brief Response | Full Response |
| Beattie, Jeff | Yes | Traffic and Traffic calming issues are as much of a concern here in Stoney Creek as in any other part of the City, so yes, we need to reduce and eliminate pedestrian and vehicular injuries and fatalities in all parts of Hamilton. The tools to achieve this vary depending on the need of the community. Being open to all options would be an important first step. We can't have any more 'that doesn't apply here' |
| Ward 12 | ||
| Candidate | Brief Response | Full Response |
| Marley, Kevin | Yes | Yes, having looked over their literature and digital content I believe this is an excellent example of innovative ways to better our society without limiting growth. Their road design is a much better way to reduce traffic fatalities than just speed limits and crosswalk laws. |
| Scime, John | Yes | Zero Vision is something that I whole heartedly believe in and have been a vocal advocate for safer streets. The safety of our residents at every level is the utmost importance. This needs to be a multi-pronged approach starting with street design and impact planning. Introducing lower inter-residential speed limits, protected bike lanes, and incorporating traffic calming measures is paramount. Continuing with one-way conversions with tighter turning radius would be a start with some of the arterial road. The fatalities due to excessive speeds and vulnerable pedestrians need to STOP, not tomorrow, not when we have the time or money to do it. NOW. One of my first objectives would be to right the wrongs on the Red Hill and mitigate the number of deaths.
Each mode of transportation needs to be incorporated into neighbourhood design phases and street design for protection and safety cannot be substituted for aesthetics. There is a way to get both. |
| Ward 13 | ||
| Candidate | Brief Response | Full Response |
| Gelder, Rich | Yes | I support Vision Zero and what I call Vision 40. We need to implement traffic calming measures chief of which are high-speed one way thoroughfares through our downtown. We need other traffic calming measures, other than simple stop signs, including bumpouts, physically separated cycling lanes and saner speed limits. Vision 40 would see any residential street not identified as an arterial road with a speed limit of 40km/h. Perhaps the city "unless otherwise posted" speed limit ought itself be moved to 40km/h. |
| Mitchell, Pamela | N/A | Declined to answer |
| Vanderbeek, Arlene | Yes | Yes, we all need to support the Vision Zero goal. Working faithfully toward safe and complete streets with protected cycling lanes where appropriate. |
| Ward 14 | ||
| Candidate | Brief Response | Full Response |
| Iszkula, Robert | Yes | Yes, our current road designs encourage dangerous situations because they are built to accommodate high speeds through neighbourhoods where people live. We can have streets that are efficient and convenient for drivers while making it safe for all users, whether they are driving, walking or cycling. Separated on-street facilities for bikes are a perfect example: they remove slower bike traffic from car lanes, improving driving efficiencies, while at the same time creating a safe space for cyclists and a buffer between cars and pedestrians. The most dangerous encounters happen at intersections. By adopting best practises that have been tested in other municipalities, we can make our intersections much safer for all users by removing "ramp" style turn lanes from residential areas, tightening turning radii, and creating clearer pavement markings. I also support truck route bylaws and enforcement to keep large trucks from using residential neighbourhoods as shortcuts. |
| Whitehead, Terry | No | I certainly support the concept and principle of eliminating deaths and carnage on our roadways; this I am confident we can all agree on. My only real concern with "vision zero" is that it leads to a false expectation that will never be realized. We can never truly eliminate deaths on the roadways. This is simply a sad reality that no one is happy about but there will always be careless individuals using our roadways whether in cars, on motorcycles or bicycles; people make mistakes, exercise poor judgement and accidents happen as they always have and always will.
It is admirable that anyone should think we can completely eliminate deaths on our roads but we cannot. Herein lies my issue with the vision zero concept. As it is with any other issue, there must be realistic targets and benchmarking that Council can be held accountable for. Vision zero sets an impossible target that can never be realized despite its laudable objectives. This is not a practical framework for Council to be measured. The framework should develop a metrics that looks at collisions, fatalities etc in our community in a holistic way. Council can work with staff to set realistic objectives that can be achieved that will continue improving the safety of our road network. If those targets are not being met, then that is truly a way of holding Council accountable. |
| Wilson, Bryan | Yes | Yes I do. There is no reason anyone should die while walking down the road. We need two way streets in downtown Hamilton. We also need more and better transit to encourage less cars downtown and more biking, walking and transit use. There is also no reason whatsoever for a downtown core to have a five lane one way road that cuts straight through it. This is just asking for trouble. this could be converted to two land two way streets with wider walkways/ bike paths and trees/ green space to brighten up the downtown core.
We need to stop designing our streets wide and straight in urban areas. Unless our goal is for people to drive straight through. But that's what highways are for. |
| Ward 15 | ||
| Candidate | Brief Response | Full Response |
| McKechnie, Susan | Yes | Vision zero is a noble cause and one worth pursuing. The city must remain steadfast in its pursuit of reducing fatalities and serious injuries on our roads and reducing traffic related fatalities to ZERO. Data provides the answer to much of this. The city should change its historic approach to dealing with the issues of traffic fatalities. Vision Zero pushes responsibility to all stakeholders, engineers, traffic planners, together with drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians. We all share responsibility. Designers of the road system are ultimately responsible for the design and operation and use of the transport system. Road users are responsible for following the rules, if they fail to obey the rules, designers should take further steps to counteract people being killed or seriously injured. A continuum of constant improvement needs to be adopted. Our current model acknowledges a death, but does not change the rules or the design.
We need to let the data lead us on where to start. Our emphasis needs to ensure we move in areas that enhance the human experience, and protect life. As an example, Ward 15 is home to Highway 6 that is a regular point of unnecessary death. No design intervention is introduced, no rule changes are applied, and no new penalty systems are refined following these horrible incidents. Focus could be directed to places like this, places where the city can work with the province – we know with certainty that speed kills. School zone studies are incredibly revealing on this topic of speed. A child hit by a motor vehicle at 40 km an hour often has an 80% chance of survival while a collision at 60 km or more has an 80% certainty of death. Speed is a great place to start. At very low levels of additional cost new built-out street networks could adopt a Vision Zero architecture. These are simple first steps to take. Following the model of other cities that have successfully deployed sensible solutions in cites half the size or ten times the size. |
Response Summary (top)
| Brief Response | Count | % of Total |
|---|---|---|
| Yes | 46 | 86.8% |
| No | 3 | 5.7% |
| Maybe | 0 | 0.0% |
