Mahteen Mahboubi, senior project manager at the City of Toronto, presented an overview of the “City of Toronto Road Safety Plan” for the UT-ITE seminar series on October 8, 2021.
Mahboubi opened the seminar by sharing the upward trend in traffic-related fatalities since 2012. Reducing fatalities is the City’s top concern.
Vision Zero works to change the mindset of the traditional road safety approach by readjusting values. In the traditional approach, Mahboubi explains, road users are responsible for the safety of themselves and others. In the Vision Zero approach, however, those who design and operate the roads share responsibility with road users to minimize road safety fatalities. The priority is to prevent collisions that result in serious injury or fatality.
Mahboubi went on to discuss the City of Toronto’s plan to achieve Vision Zero and outlined the strategic partnerships formed to effectively support each Vision Zero initiative.
During his presentation, Mahboubi shared infographics and data to demonstrate the City’s data-driven decision-making process. For example, he identified areas where serious collisions occur, the causes of those collisions, and who is affected by them. His team analyzed these KSIs to focus on the areas at high risk.
Mahboubi elaborated further on some of the Vision Zero projects already in place, such as speed management, re-designing the road for safety, safer pedestrian crosswalks, and much more. Watch his full presentation at the link shown below.
UT-ITE Vice President Mahia Anhara moderated Q & A following the seminar.
Watch the presentation video recording
Vision Zero Resources
Abstract
In 2016, in response to a general upward trend in traffic-related fatalities starting in 2012, particularly among vulnerable road users, as well as changes in values representing the Vision Zero approach, City Council approved the Vision Zero Road Safety Plan.
This signaled a change in values representing the Vision Zero approach, moving away from primarily targeting a reduction in all collisions, including less serious property-damage-only collisions, and toward a focus on reducing collisions resulting in death and serious injury.
In 2019 the Vision Zero 2.0 update recommended a set of more extensive, more proactive and more targeted initiatives informed by data to continue more effectively addressing these collisions.
This presentation will focus on the City of Toronto’s efforts on data-driven decision making and some of the key programs delivered, including a number of examples of completed projects and new programs that the City is exploring to improve safety.
About the speaker
Mateen Mahboubi joined the City of Toronto in 2018 in the Vision Zero Projects team and has been working to deliver the City’s Road Safety Plan with the goal of eliminating serious injuries and fatalities on roads in the city. Previously, he worked in consulting and at the Ontario Ministry of Transportation. Mateen studied Civil Engineering at the University of Toronto where he completed his BASc and MEng.
Mateen lives a car free life in Toronto and gets around the city on bicycle with his children year-round.
Presented by University of Toronto ITE Student Chapter, UT-ITE.