Sign the petition — we deserve a better Birchmount!
There's a stretch of Birchmount Rd in Scarborough where the only places to cross the road are more than 1 kilometre apart! This video highlights this stretch, flying north along Birchmount Rd from Danforth Ave to Danforth Rd.
People have to cross mid-block to get to bus stops, and it's dangerous. A friend of mine was injured in a collision after getting off the bus in 2019, and they're still recovering.
It's hard for people cycling to cross minor intersections, and it's hard to see over the rail bridge.
At Danforth Ave, there aren't even zebra markings for the crosswalk, or lights on one side of the intersection.
There are schools, shops, community centres, workplaces, and homes along here, so there are always vulnerable people on Birchmount.
And don't forget, this stretch of Birchmount used to have painted bike lanes a little over a decade ago. They were removed, leaving a dangerously designed road instead.
It remains a wide, multi-lane highway where many drivers speed. It's time to redesign it to be safe for everyone
Three things I'd like to see:
- Bus stops and traffic lights paired together, especially at Highview where my friend was struck
- Safer intersection designs, starting with Birchmount & Danforth Ave
- A redesign of the road so it's no longer a five-lane speedway
Scarborough desperately needs roads to be redesigned for safety. Whether young families with strollers, seniors with grocery carts, or adolescents, people of all ages and abilities deserve to be safe on our streets.
We deserve a better Birchmount — sign the petition today!