Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Road safety is an issue of great importance locally, nationally, and internationally. Motor vehicle collisions cause death and disability, resulting in high economic costs, pain and suffering, and life-altering consequences. The City of Markham has initiated the development of a Road Safety Plan (RSP) as a comprehensive action plan focused on reducing traffic-related fatalities and injuries on City roads. 

The RSP will be a guidance document containing the vision and mission statements, fundamental principles, and short-term and long-term goals and objectives. In alignment with "Vision Zero" principles, this project will set out the targets, policies, and action plans to guide the City and its road safety partners toward creating safer travel and reducing the number of fatal and serious injury collisions for all road users. The RSP will serve as a roadmap for implementing both short-term solutions and long-term investments over the next five years and beyond in a coordinated and focused manner to in preventing injuries and fatalities on our roads.

Vision Zero is a strategy supported by policies and data to eliminate traffic fatalities and serious injuries. Vision Zero started in Sweden in 1997 with the premise that everyone has the right to move safely everywhere, and it can never be ethically acceptable that people are killed or seriously injured when moving within the transportation road network. Therefore, system designers, operators, maintenance staff, and policymakers all share the responsibility to provide a Safe System for all travellers irrespective of their chosen mode, income level, race, gender, or physical abilities. Vision Zero is an aspirational long-term vision for road safety and can only be achieved by developing systematic road safety strategies with shorter-term (usually five years) realistic goals and continuous dedication in implementing safety measures throughout the transportation road network. Moreover, the Vision Zero approach requires significant cultural and legislative changes regarding the approach taken toward traffic and road operations, road design, enforcement, injury prevention (health and emergencies services) and education of road users.

Over the past several years, the City of Markham has developed programs and policies, completed several planning studies, and implemented numerous safety initiatives to improve road safety for all road users. These initiatives include the Networkwide Data Collection Program, Speed Management Program, Active Transportation Master Plan, Active School Travel Program, Speed Display Boards, School Zone Centreline Sign Program, Accessibility Design Guidelines, Sidewalk Network Completion Program, and School Crossing Guard Program. The City is also a partner in several other programs carried out by York Region.

Despite all these road safety initiatives, guidelines, and policies to address motor vehicle collisions, on average 870 collisions occur on City roadways each year, out of which over 200 collisions result in a fatality or personal injury. Therefore, the City has recognized that a new and broader-based approach is required and has proposed the development of a five-year Road Safety Plan.

This study is focused on improving the safety of road users travelling across the road network under the City’s jurisdiction, regardless of the roadway classification (such as locals, minor and major collectors) and mode of transportation (such as walking, cycling, driving, or using public transit).  Major arterial roads, such as Highway 7 or Kennedy Road, are under the jurisdiction of York Region and have been earlier reviewed as part of the York Region’s Vision Zero Traveller Safety Plan (York Region’s VZTSP) in 2024. The York Region’s VZTSP can be viewed here and its findings will inform the development of the City’s Road Safety Plan. The boundaries of the City of Markham are shown in Figure 1.

City of Markham will work with the public and a wide range of partners, including neighbouring municipalities, York Region, York Regional Police, public health, first responders, and groups with strong interest in road safety such as Ministry of Transportation, school boards, and cycling advocacy groups.

The public will be engaged in the development of the RSP to build project awareness and provide input on existing problem areas and road safety priorities. The public information centres will be held in Fall 2024 and Winter 2025. 

The stakeholders are responsible to provide advice and support for the development and implementation of the RSP and will be engaged through two in-person stakeholder consultation workshops again in Fall 2024 and Winter 2025.

The development of the City’s RSP will be informed by the York Region’s Vision Zero Traveller Safety Plan (2024-2028) and York Regional Police Road Safety Strategy (2023-2025) which were developed by two of the key project stakeholders.

Markham’s RSP will rely on various resources to identify the potential safety concerns within the City, including historical collision data and inputs from different stakeholders and the public. Therefore, the City is providing outreach to residents and community members to inform them of the Road Safety Plan under development and seeking their participation in the engagement process. The opportunities to contribute to the project can be found in the project website and its online features, including an online public opinion survey. 

We want to hear your thoughts on the following:

• Your experience of the City's current level of road safety performance using different modes of travel (such as walking, cycling, driving, or public transit); and,
• Your road safety priorities (meaning your highest concerns) such as distracted driving, aggressive driving and speed, pedestrian collisions, and cyclist collisions.