Toronto pedestrian deaths mark a 'crisis' in this city, says Jennifer Keesmaat

Toronto's former chief planner is warning that this city faces a crisis when it comes to the number of pedestrians killed on its streets.

Jennifer Keesmaat urged city hall to make protecting those on foot its top priority while moderating a panel discussion at the University of Toronto Thursday that also featured the city's general manager of transportation, Barbara Gray. 

• After spate of deaths, Toronto police launch pedestrian safety campaign

There have already been eight pedestrian deaths in the city this year, which prompted a safety blitz from Toronto police. However, Keesmaat is blaming many of the deaths on how the city's roads are set up.

"Our streets are unsafe," Keesmaat told CBC Toronto after the talk.

"Children and elderly people ... are at risk going about their daily lives because of the design of our streets. It's something we can change. It's within our power to change it."

Gray said the city is eyeing changes to what she calls problematic areas, noting the goal is to make fixes before there's a fatality. Streets where there are long sections without pedestrian crossings, which are common in Toronto's inner-suburbs, are of particular concern. 

"We have to consider how we can break those blocks up," Gray said.

Jeff Risom, a Copenhagen-based urban designer with the firm Gehl, was also on hand for the discussion. He suggested while Vision Zero — the city initiative aimed at reducing traffic-related deaths — is a good starting point, it's also "completely unambitious."

Risom said what marks success is people being able to get around safely, regardless of how they choose to travel, and also feeling comfortable and free to stop in at a shop or pull up a seat in an urban space for a while. 

"Our streets need to be providing value ... they need to be the economic life blood of our cities. And, of course, they shouldn't kill us," he said.

However, Keesmaat said safety does need to come first in Toronto, arguing until people can safely cross the street, "I don't really give a s**t about the quality of the benches."