Daryl Gonsalves –
Almost a year ago, hundreds of people gathered for an Islamic funeral prayer in honour of a 42-year-old woman and her newborn child who died following a collision at a pedestrian crossover at Queen and Sackville Streets. Responding to community pressure, City Council recently enhanced pedestrian safety through the Vision Zero Road Safety Plan.
The pregnant woman was crossing the street in the evening of July 18 when she was struck by a driver. Although her baby was delivered in an emergency procedure, the child died the following day.
The Queen and Sackville intersection has a pedestrian crossover featuring overhead yellow flashing lights, not a full traffic light. From my experience in the area, drivers frequently speed near the pedestrian crosswalk.
In the wake of the tragedy, Toronto Centre Councillor Chris Moise pledged to bring forward an emergency motion to install a full traffic signal. According to Moise, this location had been previously identified as needing enhanced safety infrastructure.
Regent Park community advocate Walied Khogali Ali in a CBC interview emphasized the need for more than isolated fixes. “Speed kills … but it’s also because [drivers] don’t see the signage,” Ali said. “We have to do a better job with signage around the Queen Street and Sackville intersection, but also, I think, other intersections across the neighbourhood.”
The city’s Vision Zero Road Safety Plan, with a budget that has grown to a record $99.1 million, aims at eliminating all fatalities and serious injuries on Toronto streets. The Vision Zero commitment, originating in Sweden in the 1990s, has been adopted by hundreds of cities.
At its June 2025 meeting, Toronto City Council authorized
● new traffic signals at 14 locations, including Queen Street East and Ontario Street — four blocks from the site of last year’s fatal collision. Other Downtown East locations are Dundas Street East at Bond Street, George Street and Pembroke Street; King Street East at Ontario Street and Sackville Street; Parliament Street at Oak Street; and Sherbourne Street at Earl Street.
● updated policies for locating pedestrian crossings and traffic control signals
● a reduced speed limit of 40 km/h on Avenue Road
● exploring the feasibility of automated enforcement of prohibited turns
● a renewed commitment to school zone safety, with $320,000 in annual funding for the “Active and Safe Routes to School” program
The Walk Toronto community group and the Leaside Residents Association both wrote to city council to support the measures. Adam Roy Cohoon advocated that any pedestrian crossing technology being considered should accommodate individuals with disabilities and suggested using wifi or Bluetooth to avoid using physical buttons.
