As a way to improve city road safety, Toronto is implementing measures to protect pedestrians against heavy duty vehicles.
The City of Toronto is taking a step toward improving pedestrian safety by adding side guards to all city-owned trucks and recommending that all heavy-duty vehicles owned by the city are retrofitted by 2026.
“The side guards that we are installing today in all City of Toronto trucks will save lives,” Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow said in a video posted to X on Nov. 20.
“I call on the provincial and federal government to do the right thing, also mandate all trucks in Ontario, and in Canada to have these side guards,” she said. “It saves lives and it prevents tragedy from happening.”
The side guards, which are protective railings or bars mounted on the side of large trucks, act as a protective barrier against people being pulled under the wheels of a truck during a collision.
An upcoming staff report by the City of Toronto to the Infrastructure and Environment committee on Nov. 27 recommends that all of the city’s heavy-duty vehicles are retrofitted by 2026.
According to a City of Toronto news release, side guards could decrease cyclist fatalities by around 62 per cent, reduce pedestrian deaths by 20 per cent, and lead to a six per cent lower rate of cyclist injuries.
More than 30 City heavy-duty vehicles already have side guards mounted onto them, and between Dec. 2024 and Dec. 2025, an estimated 219 more vehicles will be retrofitted, the release said.
“The City of Toronto is taking bold action to improve pedestrian safety. Adding side guards to vehicles is proven to reduce pedestrian and cyclist fatalities and will help make our city safer,” Chow said.
The report, Feasibility of Requiring Side Guards on all Commercial Trucks Operating in the City of Toronto, recommends city staff share best practices of adding side guards to vehicles with city agencies and corporations to encourage them to implement these safety measures on vehicles as well.
