Road Safety On Bloor & The Etobicoke Coat Of Arms Debate
November 6 2023
As mentioned in my last post I had the great opportunity to speak at the Bloor Bike Lanes Rally held yesterday from High Park along Bloor Street West to Tom Riley Park. The new Complete Streets project is still under construction and so the full benefits are yet to be felt. As with every new project there are growing pains and right now as residents adjust this is understandable. Please note that if you are having issues with timing of lights or other issues you can contact your City Councillor as they need to know what is not working so that adjustments can be made. As an Etobicoke Road Safety Advocate I am excited to see how this design is going to make this busy area safer for all vulnerable road users and unlike what some people believe; this is not just for bikes! Complete Streets is for pedestrians of all ages and abilities and those who use mobility aids to get around out community. As promised, tonight I am sharing the speech I made at the event, hopefully you will see where I am coming from in this discussion.
Bloor Bike Lanes Rally Opening Address - November 5 2023 - Given at the High Park Gates
Thank you to everyone who has gotten out this afternoon to support complete streets and the safe active transportation routes that are finally becoming a part of the Etobicoke landscape! As a lifelong central Etobicoke resident I have seen so much change in four decades. Density has increased, the amount of traffic has increased, local traffic-related injuries have gone up exponentially, but a lot stays the same and this has extended to a lot of our road safety infrastructure.
Some might say we need more, we need bigger, but that does not in fact help solve the root of the issue. I have been advocating locally for 6 years...over half a decade...to bring improvements so that Etobicoke residents can feel more comfortable getting kids to walk to school, young families to walk and explore local parks and green spaces, those with mobility challenges feel more confident to get out and walk which in turn means more exercise and fresh air; things that lead to a better quality of life!
I want to thank the team, people I consider as friends, who are behind the We Belong On Bloor Initiative; you are all truly safe road champions here in Etobicoke and you most definitely deserve recognition and gratitude for the work you have been doing to advocate for safer street design for everyone who gets around the area by pedal or on foot.
So many residents reach out to me regularly to tell me the problems they have about getting out to safely walk in there own communities across Etobicoke and I no longer felt helpless at finding bigger and better solutions to help my neighbors. I now have many people to bounce ideas off of and it makes the work much more productive. Over the last year, Complete Streets has become a big part of the those conversations and solutions.
You see the city's Complete Streets project goes beyond the narrative being used by some in recent weeks and months that it's just bike lanes - this unfortunately has been used by many to divide communities. Using road safety measures in this way hurts us all and is just plain wrong in my humble opinion! It's not cars vs bikes it's a method to allow our roads to work for everybody. It's about working together not against.
I am an avid walker which makes me a regular user of road infrastructure.
I have a desire to do what I can to combat the climate emergency we are in by reducing my carbon foot print however I can and if we all get out and follow the idea of making shorter trips minus the car we all win - and honestly in Etobicoke that means we need safe alternatives to busy wide roads through residential and small commercial business districts. These areas are many times treated like highways and pedestrians deserve better.
Complete Streets work for all of us!
When bike lanes are installed pedestrians have extra space between them and the cars. This may not seem like a big deal but it makes things safer when you are walking with little ones, pushing a stroller, are using a mobile device, are distracted by window shopping and taking time to explore local businesses as you take in the sights around you. When my teens are out on there own I worry about everything, but mostly it's them crossing our busy roads. If they were walking in a neighborhood that had an updated complete street redesign I could breath a bit better, instead of wide lanes, crossing would be shorter and better planned. Cars not weaving in and out and everyone; driver, cyclist, and pedestrian would know exactly where the others were moving. This would help give me more time to worry about everything else!
I just have a couple of points for us all to remember and keep in mind going forward...
Change is hard! The current road renovation is not yet complete this is not the time to judge if a program is a success, it's much to early!
Habits are ingrained in us for a reason! Etobicoke was built as a driving suburban alternative to the downtown core at a different time
As the west end grows in population we do not have the space on our roads for more cars and our climate cannot handle the increase in pollution that they cause. We all know we need more alternatives and active transportation methods are the answer in this balance. The idea of complete streets becomes less daunting and more effective WHEN WE RECOGNIZE THAT WE ALL ARE PART OF THE COMPLETE STREETS - PEDESTRIANS, CYCLISTS, TRANSIT USERS, AND DRIVERS .
We can make a difference...we ALL belong on Bloor!
Ride safe everyone!
One Last Thing…
I came across a CBC story this evening that talks about the fact that the City of Toronto is looking to scrap the Etobicoke coat of arms. The reason being is that multiple city staff find it troublesome due to anti-indigenous images. While the city is moving toward change and Truth & Reconciliation, Ward 2 Councillor Stephen Holyday is going to bring a motion to this week’s City Council meeting to ask that a report be brought to council on this issue. He states that he feels that the meaning is more friendly than others believe. Chief Stacey Laforme of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation says in the CBC article that the images and language is in fact disturbing but would like to see a public conversation to start to discuss what changes could be made.
The Etobicoke Voice will be following this story closely and will provide updates.
Read the whole story here - https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/etobicoke-coat-of-arms-indigenous-stereotypes-1.7018447
City Council Meeting Motion - https://secure.toronto.ca/council/agenda-item.do?item=2023.MM12.6
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Thanks for the post Jennifer! I always loved to see the cost of arms at the end of the bridge by lakeshore. On either side of the bridge it looked like there was two coats of arms but one was removed? Either way I think it’s great to open up a conversation about what the meaning behind what everything stands for rather than just remove everything. I feel like we’re finally starting to buck the trend of this cancel culture and it starts at the grassroots with something exactly like this. Thank you for bringing light to it!