At the June 5 Transportation Committee meeting Councillor Hubley proposed a motion (Additional Item) in light of the Office of the Chief Coroner for Ontario’s report entitled Pedestrian Death Review- A Review of All Accidental Pedestrian Deaths in Ontario from January 1st 2010 to December 31st 2010. Councillor Hubley submitted a petition to the Ministry of Transportation to amend the Highway Traffic Act so it will permit municipalities to erect non-signalized pedestrian crossings. These pedestrian crossings will be indicated through the use of signs and pavement markings that will define the crossing within the roadway and will provide priority to pedestrians at the crossings. The motion stated that the City of Ottawa would like to erect non-signalized mid-block crossings at locations where it is determined they will improve pedestrian safety.
While this is a great development for pedestrian safety, it would be better if it had been enacted in hand with a law that would require motorists to stop when pedestrians are waiting to cross. If it was mandatory for vehicles to stop and yield to pedestrians it would be even safer for pedestrians to walk in their neighbourhoods.
Nonetheless, the motion was passed unanimously without amendments. Regardless of the lack of amendments to propose a law for motorists to stop, Ecology Ottawa recognizes the effort put forth by Councillor Hubley to propose a motion that will ultimately make our roads more pedestrian friendly. Councillor Hubley as well as the Councillors on the Transportation Committee receive a Thumbs Up for passing this motion on to Council and making our roads a little safer for the pedestrian users.
Latest posts
Members of ECCC invited to webinar on incineration
On April 8, we invited members of City Council’s Environment and Climate Change Committee (ECCC) to attend a webinar on incineration. This webinar is timely: Council is considering incineration as an option for dealing with Ottawa’s waste, since staff has warned Council that the Trail Road Landfill—which currently receives the majority of Ottawans’ garbage—will fill up soon.
Ecology Ottawa Delegates on 2023 Climate Change Spending
Ecology Ottawa attended City Council's Environment and Climate Change committee meeting on March 19 to delegate about a staff report about 2023 spending on the Climate Change Master Plan (CCMP).
All in all, we were impressed: City staff had only $5 million to work with—yet they turned this into 26 different initiatives.
Ottawa Eco Awards 2024 - Open for Nominations!
Pour le français, cliquez ici.
In celebration of Earth Day 2024, we at Ecology Ottawa are highlighting the people, places, plants, trees, and animals of Ottawa that inspire our communities to take action, find innovative solutions, and work together to protect our environment. We call on you to nominate members of your community that work hard and inspire others to create change!