We need to be able to safely and affordably get around the city - in the winter and all year. City Council votes March 7th!

Sign the petition for:

  • better winter road maintenance and sidewalk snow and ice clearing

  • safer roads for all users in Toronto

  • improved TTC service and to stop the TTC fare increase

Across the city we need better snow and ice clearing on our roads and sidewalks so everyone can safely get around. Winter storms, driver collisions with pedestrians and cyclists, coupled with increasing transit fares and crowding and transit delays are making it very hard to get around in Toronto. See our round up key facts further below.

Next week, Toronto City Council is voting on the 2019 City Budget and Toronto City Councillor Mike Layton said he will be moving a motion to help make sure our roads and sidewalks are cleared next winter, to improve transit service, to stop the planned TTC fare increase, and to help implement Vision Zero (Toronto’s lifesaving road safety plan) faster.

Use our petition to send an email directly to your local councillor and the Mayor. Ask them to support funding to make sure our roads and sidewalks are cleared of snow and ice next winter, that Vision Zero is implemented on time, and that the TTC is an affordable and reliable option for getting around the city.


KEY FACTS

A motion will be moved at the City Council meeting on the 2019 Budget to dedicate funding to snow clearing, safer streets, and better transit

Councillor Mike Layton, who sits on Budget Committee, has committed to moving a motion to allocate resources to increase the City’s winter maintenance budget, investments in vision zero, and transit. He has said he will be moving a motion at Council to address these gaps in service:

 
 

The City Ombudsman has expressed serious concerns about current service levels
After thousands of complaints (and counting) to 311, there was a response from the City’s Ombudsman recognizing the huge gaps in service for sidewalk clearing across the City and the need to have this addressed.  The Ombudsman is now monitoring the issue very closely.

Sidewalks not cleared of snow and ice affect many people. Including those with mobility challenges and young families with strollers. — Susan E. Opler, City of Toronto Ombudsman

The current budget proposes to CUT the winter maintenance budget
Despite the snow clearing problems we have been facing this winter, the current city budget proposes cutting the winter maintenance budget by $1.6 million [Transportation Budget Page 17]. Matt Elliott, a columnist for the CBC, has written about the lack of political will to address the issue in his article here .

Transit riders are paying $447 more a year now than they were in 2008
According to TTCriders, token fares have increased by 75 cents a ride since 2008. This amounts to $375 more per year per person if they take the TTC to and from work, 5 days a week. The proposed 10-cent increase will be at least another $50/year on top of this. The impact is even more significant on the system’s most loyal riders, with Metropass/Monthly Pass users paying $447 more per year since 2008. And, to make matters worse, the next phase of the TTC’s promised Fair Pass for low income riders is not being fully rolled out this year as was promised by a majority of Toronto City Councillors during the election [see Social Planning Toronto’s report here pdf]. The TTC needs to be an affordable option for people in our city.

The TTC is more overcrowded than ever
The TTC is more crowded than ever and riders are experiencing significant delays daily. We have all stood in something like this before. The problems are exacerbated in cold weather with a system in bad need of upgrades and service improvements. Meanwhile, the TTC is planning to increase fares without significant service improvements. Further elected representatives aren’t investing the needed funds to keep the system running.

Vision Zero must be implemented on time to save lives
The City adopted Vision Zero as a 5 year plan to address traffic-related deaths and injuries in 2017 and are in the midst of implementing its recommendations. However, it’s not being implemented fast enough. While a true dedication to city-wide changes is needed, allocating further funding now can make our roads safer, faster. We’re calling on the city to implement enough funding this year to meet its own promises and targets.