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Premier Doug Ford hit back at allegations that the signs municipalities were given to replace speed cameras are too large to put up and, in the case of Toronto, not enough.
Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow said on Wednesday The city has been provided with only 20 signs for its 641 school zones. Additionally, the size of the signs means that new poles must be installed to post them. Chow said that although the province has indicated it will pay for the installation of the poles, there is no option to ask for more signs at this time.
Speaking at an unrelated event on Thursday, Ford said he “started laughing” when he heard criticism of the new signs.
“Let’s get this straight; all the other municipalities don’t have a problem, but of course, this is Toronto again, and Ottawa, they can’t put up a big sign,” he said.
“Do I have to go over there and show them how to put up a big sign?”
Ford called it “just an excuse” and rejected the mayor’s allegations that not enough signals were given.
“We’re getting more signals. It’s amazing, the signals you’ve given me are huge, but I need more signals. You must think I fell off a turnip truck. You’re getting signals, we’re going to put speed bumps in,” he said.
Ford, a former Toronto city councillor, also questioned why the city is not moving forward with installing speed bumps, which are also part of the province’s traffic calming measures after speed cameras were outlawed.
He said, “You don’t like signs, put up speed bumps, we’re giving everyone $210 million. Just another excuse.”
CityNews has confirmed that only 21 of Toronto’s 150 speed camera locations are eligible for speed humps.
According to the City, if roads fail any of the key criteria, including being too close to major emergency service locations, they are ineligible for the measures. In addition, if a local councilor requests it, the road will be studied to determine whether it meets the policy criteria.
On roads that are considered TTC routes, speed cushions may be considered, but only if they receive TTC approval and meet the same criteria as speed humps.
Roundabouts – which have been mentioned by the province as potential traffic-calming measures – are not considered a speed management device by the city, as they require significant amounts of land, which is not a viable option for built-up urban settings.
“They’ll find every excuse in the world, but at the end of the day, in October next year, the people of Toronto will have a choice. They want to continue down that path, or they want change,” Ford said, before reiterating that he gets along “very, very well” with Chow.
Concerns were also raised by councilors in neighboring Brampton, who say the size of the signs could create blind spots, meaning motorists may not be able to see children clearly when crossing the road in these school zones.