Toronto is slowing down. Mayor John Tory announced that speed limits on almost 50 streets in the city will be reduced to minimize fatalities on Toronto roads.

“We simply have to see drivers slow down on streets where the numbers show us that speed has put people’s lives at risk,” Tory said at a news conference this morning.

Proud to join City staff this morning to bring forward an evidence-based #VisionZero 2.0 Plan, focused on taking action to lower speed limits on hundreds of kilometres on our arterial roads across the city. pic.twitter.com/ESMJrlaRzp

— John Tory (@JohnTory) June 20, 2019

The speed limit will be reduced from 60 km/h to 50 km/h at the following places:

• Bathurst Street from Delhi Avenue to Steeles Avenue West
• Danforth Road from Brimley Road to McCowan Road
• Don Mills Road from a point 24 metres south of the centre line of the Don Valley Parkway to Kern Road
• Keele Street from Greenbrook Drive to Finch Avenue West
• Steeles Avenue West from Keele Street to Yonge Street
• Morningside Avenue from Kingston Road to Tams Road/Pan Am Drive

The speed limit will be reduced from 70 km/h to 60 km/h at these places:

• Black Creek Drive (Northbound) from Eglinton Avenue West to Weston Road
• Black Creek Drive (Southbound) from a point 200 metres north of Weston Road to Eglinton Avenue West.

The speed limit will be reduced from 50 km/h to 40 km/h at:

• Bathurst Street from St. Clair Avenue West to Briar Hill Avenue
• Dufferin Street from Geary Avenue to Eglinton Avenue West
• St. Clair Avenue West from Runnymede Road to Dufferin Street
• Victoria Park Avenue from Dawes Road to O'Connor Drive/Eglinton Square
• Yonge Street from Eglinton Avenue East/West to Broadway Avenue

The full list of changes can be read here.

This update is the second phase of the Vision Zero Road Safety Plan, which was created in 2017 to address the high number of traffic-related deaths in Toronto.

TO Vision Zero 2.0 Road Safety plan out. Speeds a major factor, but safety Zones and speed limit reductions need to be reinforced by infrastructure and enforcement. https://t.co/eoAQulvJF1

— Mike Layton (@m_layton) June 20, 2019

The goal is to reach zero fatalities.

In 2018, there were 66 collision fatalities, 40 of which were pedestrians and 16 of which were in Scarborough. This number has been consistently high over the last five years. In 2016, there was a ten-year record high of 78 traffic fatalities.

Mayor notes people over 55 years old make up disproportionate # of victims. Says arterial roads comprise 21% of Toronto road network but where more than 80% of deaths happen. Says lowering speed limits won’t be as controversial as would have been few years ago.

— David Rider (@dmrider) June 20, 2019

The Vision Zero 2.0 update concluded that higher speeds contribute to a higher risk of serious injuries. By reducing speed limits, there will be more driver reaction time, a larger stopping distance between the vehicle and pedestrian and a lower impact.

Mayor Tory is keen on implementing these changes as soon as possible, even if that means putting stickers over current road signs until they are permanently reinstalled.

Other amendments include improving safety where there is roadwork, enhancing road lighting and advocating for the province to change the maximum Blood Alcohol Concentration for motorcyclists to zero per cent.