There were 24 fatal collisions in 2018 (including 7 pedestrians). A 20% reduction would result in 19 fatal collisions.

An increased road safety budget is something to celebrate. A vision for road safety that accepts 19 fatal collisions is not.

#ottnews #ottbike https://twitter.com/JimWatsonOttawa/status/1199005098967490560

Jim Watson considers himself a pragmatist. In this case, his pragmatic solution is to set an easily-achievable target.

We need to shift our view of pragmatism to mean doing the pragmatic things necessary to achieve the *ideal* result: zero road deaths in our city.

I am glad that the city is spending $31.5 million on road safety. It's a significant investment. The Road Safety Action Plan looks very promising and will definitely make a difference. But a 20% reduction in road deaths is not enough, and you only get the results you reach for.