CATTL is posting this open letter to the stakeholders listed therein.
Hello Everyone,
I am writing this letter in the wake of the fatal tragedy that occurred on county road 507 on Sunday May 19.
Folks in our community have reached out to CATTL to discuss how to address the problem of fatal accidents in our community, particularly on county road 507. As we await the report from the police investigation, CATTL has a request.
We were recently introduced to VisionZero.ca. VisionZero is a term coined by the Swedish government when it pledged to eliminate death and serious injury from its roads. VisionZero uses “an evidence-based approach focusing on infrastructure, vehicle regulation and speed limits designed to protect all road users”. Parachute Vision Zero is “a network that brings key players together across sectors, shares current knowledge and best practices, draws attention and access to the importance of data and evidence, and provides access to valuable resources to build capacity.” https://parachute.ca/en/professional-resource/vision-zero-collection/
CATTL requests a meeting with representatives from the Municipality of Trent Lakes, the Police Board, Peterborough County, and CATTL, with Parachute Vision Zero, to review county road 507 accident reports and specifically discuss methods to further address safety on County road 507.
This is a long-standing road safety issue in our community. Enforcement has not worked, education has not worked, we need a new, effective, evidence-based solution. This is not a short-term fix, this is a long-term problem with a complex solution. Let’s work together to find solutions.
We eagerly await your reply.
Kind regards,
Karen Shearer-CATTL
These traumatic events significantly affect the well being of our community members. We need to consult with the experts and find out the most effective evidence-based solutions available in order to stop the trauma to our citizens and our first-responders, and alleviate the fear that our citizens have about using this road. It isn’t that our folks aren’t trying to stop the problem, it is just that the solutions being used do not appear to be solving the problem. It’s time for new ideas.
Citizens for Alternative Transportation in Trent Lakes (CATTL) 