Half of Those Aware
of Vision Zero Say It’s Not Doing Enough
Awareness
up, but still only a third
Toronto, July 5th, 2018 – In a random sampling of public
opinion taken by The Forum Poll™ among 2521 Toronto voters, about one-third
(32%) say they are aware of the Vision Zero Road Safety plan, which is up 13
points since 2017 (Feb 9, 2017: 19%).
More than half (56%) say no, they are not aware of Vision Zero, down
9 points since 2017 (Feb 9, 2017: 56%).
A further one-sixth (13%) say
they aren’t sure if they are aware of it or not, a similar proportion to 2017
(Feb 9, 2017: 15%).
Respondents most likely to say they are aware of the plan include
those aged 45-54 (35%) or 55-64 (37%), males (36%), the most-wealthy (45%),
with a post-graduate degree (42%), and living in the former city of Toronto
(42%) or York (39%).
Respondents most likely to say they are not aware of the plan
include those aged 34 and younger (56%), 35-44 (56%), or 45-54 (54%), females
(60%), the least wealthy (62%), or earning $20,000-$40,000 (60%) or
$40,000-$60,000 (61%), with some college/university (59%) or a
college/university degree (58%), and living in North York (62%).
Amongst
those aware, more than half say it doesn’t do enough
More than half (56%) of those that say they are aware of Vision Zero
say that it does not do enough to protect non-drivers on Toronto streets.
About one-quarter (22%) say that Vision Zero is doing enough, while about 1 in
10 (7%) say it is doing more than enough. One-sixth (16%) say they are unsure.
Respondents most likely to say Vision Zero does not do enough
include those aged 35-44 (68%), males (59%), the most-wealthy (63%), with a
college/university (58%) or post-graduate degree (58%), and living in York
(72%) (n=57).
Almost
two-thirds say roads not safe for cyclists
6 in 10 (BTM2: 60%) say that Toronto roads are not safe for
cyclists, with about one-fifth (18%) saying they are not at all safe for
cyclists.
Amongst those who identify their primary mode of transportation as a
bicycle (n=111), the proportion who feel roads are unsafe for cyclists is
higher, with two-thirds (BTM2: 67%) saying they are not safe, with a quarter (26%)
saying they are not at all safe.
Secondary cyclists (n=140) feel similarly, with almost
three-quarters (BTM2: 70%) saying they are not safe, with a quarter (25%)
saying they are not at all safe.
Respondents most likely to say roads are not safe for Toronto
cyclists include females (63%), with a post-graduate degree (66%), and living
in the former city of Toronto (65%), East York (64%), or York (63%).
4 in 10 (TOP2: 40%) say Toronto streets are safe for cyclists, but
only 1 in 10 (9%) say they are very safe.
Respondents most likely to say Toronto roads are safe for cyclists
include those aged 55-64 (47%), males (44%), the least wealthy (46%), the
least educated (42%) or with some college/university (45%), and living in North
York (43%) or Etobicoke (46%).
More than 4 in 10 of those whose primary mode of transportation is a
private vehicle (44%) say Toronto roads are safe for cyclists.
Two-thirds
say Toronto roads safe for pedestrians
Two-thirds (TOP2: 65%) say that Toronto roads are safe for
pedestrians, with one-sixth (15%) saying they are very safe.
Respondents most likely to say Toronto roads are safe for
pedestrians include those living in Scarborough (TOP2: 70%) or whose primary
mode of transit is a private vehicle (TOP2: 69%).
Only half (TOP2: 50%) of those who say walking is their primary mode
of transportation (n=111) also say that Toronto roads are safe for pedestrians
One-third (35%) say that Toronto roads are not safe for pedestrians,
with 1 in 10 (8%) saying they are not at all safe.
Respondents most likely to say that Toronto roads are not safe for
pedestrians include those earning $60,000-$80,000 (42%), and whose primary mode
of transportation is walking (50%).
“Awareness of Vision Zero is up, but amongst
those that know about it, more than half say it isn’t doing enough,” said Dr.
Lorne Bozinoff, President of Forum Research. “Perhaps more troubling, though, is
that almost two-thirds of Torontonians feel that city roads are not safe for
cyclists.”
Lorne Bozinoff,
Ph.D. is the president and founder of Forum Research. He can be reached at
lbozinoff@forumresearch.com or at (416) 960-9603.
