Pedestrian Safety in Mississauga in Municipal Election
I am a resident of Mississauga’s Ward 7. I live in a one bedroom condo and am not overly concerned with tax rates. I understand that municipal elections are often, if not always centred on property tax rates.
The issue I think should be centred in municipal elections quality of life. I live on Webb Drive and have noticed a marked increase in people walking in recent years as the population of this area grows. However, walking in this area is very unpleasant and dangerous. Burnhamthorpe Road is like a highway running right through a high density part of the city where walkability should be the priority.
I know that Mississauga was farmland with a few villages that were amalgamated into a city which then allowed the space between those villages to be filled in with mostly single family home developments. Mississauga and the cities around it have grown over the decades leading to a car dependent set of suburbs around some high density nodes. This has led to congestion, noise, pollution, and the biggest and busiest highway in North America (401).
I often cross the street at Central Parkway and Confederation Parkway, and it is dangerous. We have leading pedestrian signals but drivers do not stop on red lights when making right turns putting the driver’s two ton car in conflict with a person walking. There is a church and a high school on that corner. This says everything about how much Mississauga cares about safety. Easy solution would be no right turn on red lights. You will immediately find that drivers will hate this because saving a minute whilst diving is much more important than saving lives.
For candidates: Are you aware of Vision Zero? Is it part of your campaign? I suggest it should be the cornerstone of your campaign as more people walk, are maimed, and die. The time will come, soon, when the residents of this area will demand greater safety for themselves and their children.