Road safety is everyone’s responsibility

Road safety continues to be a leading priority at the City of Vaughan. This is Canada Road Safety Week, and we’re taking this opportunity to remind all road users – including drivers, cyclists and pedestrians – to slow down and pay attention to their surroundings. Remember, we all play a role in keeping our community safe.

Here are some ways you can improve road safety: 

• Check weather and road conditions before leaving home or work. Allow extra travel time to get to your destination or wait until conditions improve.

• Avoid riding your bike through puddles as potholes and other hidden road conditions can be underneath. 

• Obey the rules of the road, including posted speed limits, “No Stopping” and “No Parking” signs, and yield to those walking when you approach a pedestrian crossover.

• Follow the rules of the road when riding your bike – keep to the right, use proper hand signals, obey traffic lights and stop signs, and let pedestrians know you’re approaching them by ringing a bell or horn. 

• Walk, don’t run, when crossing the street.

• Pay attention to vehicular traffic while walking along or crossing roads.

• When out for a walk, ensure you are visible to drivers and cyclists, and make eye contact once they have stopped before crossing.

• Cross at designated crosswalks, crossovers or controlled intersections.

Keeping all road users safe is among our top priorities. Here are some of the ways we’re advancing road safety in Vaughan: 

MOVESMART 

As home to thousands of businesses and more than 344,000 residents, Vaughan is one of Ontario’s fastest-growing municipalities. To keep up with the increase in travel demand, the City initiated the MoveSmart Mobility Management Strategy (MoveSmart) in 2021. Significant progress is being made, with the City advancing the majority of its initiatives in 2024! The annual MoveSmart update (PDF) was shared with Vaughan Council in April. Highlights include updates to the Neighbourhood Area Traffic Calming Policy.

As part of MoveSmart, the Safer School Zones Plan is a comprehensive strategy to improve safety within school zones and help increase active school travel among elementary and secondary school students. The City developed recommendations to create safer streets and accessibility for vulnerable road users in school zone areas, increase active school travel to/from school, and promote equity in our communities for vulnerable road users. To achieve these goals, the City will:

• develop a standard school zone guideline, which will be used to assess both new and existing school zones.

• begin implementing site-specific recommendations for 20 ‘hot spot’ schools, categorized into short-, medium- and long-term improvements.

• continue to advance Vaughan’s Active School Travel program into new elementary schools and expand Vaughan’s Transportation Youth Ambassador program for secondary school students.

NEIGHBOURHOOD TRAFFIC CALMING PLAN

The City is creating safer roads through the Neighbourhood Traffic Calming Plan, one of the major initiatives under MoveSmart. 

The City reformed the Neighbourhood Traffic Committee Policy and Procedures (PDF) by modernizing and standardizing the implementation of traffic calming measures along new and existing roads in Vaughan. These guidelines allow the City to continue creating a high-quality, people-oriented and sustainable built environment that promotes a culture of road safety.  

SPEED LIMIT POLICY

The City has implemented a comprehensive Speed Limit Policy across Vaughan to ensure the safety of all road users and address the growing population. As part of MoveSmart, the policy is used as a speed management tool to set and adjust appropriate speed limits throughout Vaughan’s street network.
 

To further advance the City’s commitment to road safety, extensive public consultation and policy reviews will assess public and stakeholder support for reducing speed limits in Community Safety Zones from 40 to 30 kilometres per hour, with a focus on school safety. You are encouraged to share your feedback by attending an in-person pop up session or completing an online survey by Tuesday, Aug. 5.

CORRIDOR REVIEWS

In response to growing transportation demands and the need for increased road safety and sustainable modes of travel, the City is undertaking multiple traffic studies through Road Safety Corridor Reviews, which examine the current and future transportation planning and mobility infrastructure needs for a road. By assessing traffic operations in these areas, the City can identify additional road safety opportunities for pedestrians, cyclists, transit and vehicular road users to better serve all modes of transportation. The Corridor Reviews identify short- and long-term implementation plans to enhance road safety along the study area.

#SLOWDOWNVAUGHAN

Through the #SlowDownVaughan initiative, residents urge their neighbours to drive safely and obey speed limits. There are many ways you can participate:

• Place a #SlowDownVaughan sign on your lawn – signs are available for pick up at Vaughan community centres and Vaughan Public Libraries (full list of locations available online). Signs are produced by the City and are free to Vaughan residents.

• Download (PDF) and print a #SlowDownVaughan sign to hang in your window.  

• Post about this initiative on your social media platforms using #SlowDownVaughan (supporting graphics are available on the City’s website).

Let’s all work together to keep Vaughan’s roads safe for everyone. To learn more about these initiatives and transportation in Vaughan, visit vaughan.ca/transportation. 

For updates and news as they happen, subscribe to Vaughan News and follow the official corporate channels on X, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.