News Release: October 1, 2019
October is Pedestrian Safety Month in Peel
Brampton, ON. (October 1, 2019) – Pedestrian and motor vehicle collisions increase in the fall and winter months. For this reason, the Region of Peel and its partners have declared October as Pedestrian Safety Month.
Everyone can help improve pedestrian safety with these simple actions:
When driving:
- Double-check for pedestrians when turning left or right. Over half of the collisions between cars and pedestrians happen when a driver is turning, and the pedestrian is crossing with the right of way.
- Remember to scan for pedestrians when approaching an intersection.
When walking:
- Press pedestrian pushbuttons. These pushbuttons trigger the ‘Walk’ signal, giving you more time to cross.
- Don’t start crossing the street when the ‘Don’t Walk’ signal is flashing – this signal means ‘Finish crossing, don’t start.’
“With fewer daylight hours at this time of year, it’s important that we take extra care to help ensure the safety of all commuters,” said Andrew Farr, Region of Peel Commissioner of Public Works. “The Region of Peel is committed to improving the safety of our roads. We have adopted the Vision Zero Road Safety Plan to help protect the most vulnerable road users and reduce the number of people getting hurt or dying from motor vehicles collisions.”
The Region of Peel is making infrastructure changes to improve pedestrian safety as part of the Vision Zero Road Safety Strategic Plan:
- Building pedestrian crossovers to create more locations for pedestrians to cross with the right-of-way
- Adding pedestrian crossovers to right turn channels – giving pedestrians the right-of-way to cross to the island
- Reducing crossing distances by bumping out curbs and reducing lane widths
- Investigating strategies like leading pedestrian intervals that give pedestrians the ‘Walk’ signal before drivers get a green light. The goal is to make pedestrians more visible to drivers turning left and right.
To learn more and to test your pedestrian safety IQ, visit our pedestrian safety page or tweet us using #PedestrianSafetyPeel.
Pedestrian Safety Month is the result of a community partnership involving the Region of Peel, the City of Brampton, the Town of Caledon, the City of Mississauga, Peel Regional Police, the Caledon OPP detachment, Teens Learn to Drive, and the Ontario Ministry of Transportation.
Media Contacts
Gloria LeonardisCommunications Specialist
Region of Peel
905-791-7800, ext. 4667
About Peel's transition
The Ontario government announced the dissolution of Peel Region and the establishment of a Transition Board (TB) as part of Bill 112. The Transition Board was appointed to provide recommendations to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing on a range of restructuring matters related to the dissolution of Peel Region to make Mississauga, Brampton and Caledon independent municipalities by January 1, 2025.
To learn about the Transition Board, how it will make these recommendations, and to provide feedback to the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing, visit Ontario's Peel Region Transition Board website.
During our transition, Peel remains committed to providing services to residents and businesses. For information about our transition, visit Peel's transition website.
About Peel Region
Peel Region works with residents and partners to create a healthy, safe and connected Community for Life for approximately 1.5 million people and over 200,000 businesses in the cities of Brampton and Mississauga and the Town of Caledon. Peel's services touch the lives of residents every day. For more information about the Region of Peel, explore peelregion.ca and follow us on Twitter @regionofpeel and Instagram @peelregion.ca.
