Region of Durham Presents Vision Zero Road Safety Update to Scugog Council

BRANDON CLARK The Standard

SCUGOG: The Township of Scugog received an update on regional road safety initiatives during a regular Council meeting last Monday. The presentation was delivered by Steven Kemp, Manager of Traffic Engineering and Operations, and Amanda Spencer, Senior Project Manager of Traffic Safety for the Region of Durham.

The delegation provided an overview of Durham’s Vision Zero Road Safety Action Plan, which aims to eliminate fatalities and serious injuries across all modes of transportation. As part of this plan, the Region has set measurable reduction goals for collision-related injuries and deaths.

Regional staff noted that collision data continues to show intersections as the most common location for traffic incidents in Durham. To address this, the Region has implemented a wide range of safety countermeasures since 2019. These include: Automated Speed Enforcement (ASE) locations, Community Safety Zones, Red-light cameras, Leading Pedestrian Intervals (LPIs), All-way stop installations and Bicycle crossrides.

According to the Region, more than 600 safety countermeasures have been put in place over the past several years as part of ongoing efforts to reduce collision frequency and severity.

Kemp emphasized the guiding principle behind the program, stating that Vision Zero’s objective is for all road users to arrive home safely at the end of the day.

The presentation also outlined several planned transportation improvements identified in Durham Region’s long-term infrastructure and safety planning documents. These include proposed intersection upgrades, corridor improvements, and continued expansion of pedestrian and cycling safety features. All future projects remain subject to study, design, and approval processes.

Further details about the Vision Zero update and the November 2024 Council meeting can be found through the Agendas and Minutes section on the Township of Scugog’s official website.