39 Candidates for Toronto City Council Respond to Request to Make Pledges to Tear Down Disability Barriers in Toronto, But There’s Radio Silence from the Two Leading Contenders for Mayor!

ACCESSIBILITY FOR ONTARIANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT ALLIANCE

NEWS RELEASE – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

39 Candidates for Toronto City Council Respond to Request to Make Pledges to Tear Down Disability Barriers in Toronto, But There’s Radio Silence from the Two Leading Contenders for Mayor!

October 13, 2026 Toronto: The non-partisan grassroots AODA Alliance here makes public the 39 responses it has received on accessibility for people with disabilities from candidates for Toronto City Council member or Toronto mayor. One month ago, the AODA Alliance wrote all candidates (see letter below) asking them to make the the “Municipal Disability Accessibility Pledge, including:

No e-scooters
No scramble intersections and
No bike paths on the sidewalk.

Neither of the two leading candidates for Toronto mayor, Olivia Chow and Brad Bradford, have responded as of yet. The responses are set out below, broken down by contest. They vary from strong commitments on our issues to far less.

The AODA Alliance does not endorse or oppose any candidate. We encourage voters to take into account the commitments that candidates make on our issues. We invite candidates to make the strongest commitments. We urge the media to include our issues in their coverage of the campaign.

We are still eager to receive responses from other candidates for mayor or City Council. We will do our best to make public the responses received. We also encourage disability advocates around Ontario to press their local municipal candidates for commitments.

Contact: AODA Alliance Chair David Lepofsky, aodafeedback@gmail.com

Twitter: @aodaalliance

September 13, 2026 Letter from the AODA Alliance to Candidates for Toronto Mayor or City Council

Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance

United for a Barrier-Free Society for All People with Disabilities

Web: www.aodaalliance.org Email: aodafeedback@gmail.com Twitter: @aodaalliance

September 13, 2026

I write on behalf of the AODA Alliance, a non-partisan community coalition that advocates for accessibility for people with disabilities. We seek your commitments on the important topic of tearing down disability barriers in Toronto, and ensuring that no new disability barriers are created.

Will you make the “Municipal Disability Accessibility Pledge, including:

No e-scooters
No scramble intersections and
No bike paths on the sidewalk.

We here explain the three planks in this pledge.

1. Don’t Allow Electric Scooters

Please commit not to allow electric scooters in public places, such as roads, parks or sidewalks. Please commit to Toronto vigorously enforcing the law.

In Ontario, people with disabilities are endangered by electric scooters racing silently at high speeds on sidewalks, roads and park paths. These create twin dangers for people with disabilities, seniors, children and others.

A silent menace, e-scooters, appearing out of nowhere, are ridden on sidewalks in Ottawa and other cities that ban them from sidewalks. Uninsured, unlicensed, untrained, unhelmeted joy-riders, racing at 20 or more KPH, endanger the safety of innocent pedestrians, especially people who can’t see them coming or quickly dodge them. Left strewn on sidewalks, e-scooters have been tripping hazards for blind people. They are an accessibility nightmare for wheelchair users.

Many news reports around the world document very serious injuries that e-scooters have caused. Several major disability organizations, as well as several municipal accessibility advisory committees have called on city after city to not allow e-scooters, and to effectively enforce any bans on them that are in force.

Despite this, some Ontario cities like Ottawa continue to allow e-scooters, egged on by their City staff. Other cities like Toronto have not allowed them, but are not fully and effectively enforcing the ban on riding them in public. In Toronto, e-scooters are frequently ridden public as if they were perfectly legal. Toronto Police have undertaken a few helpful but short blitzes to enforce the law, warning and charging a number of e-scooter riders. The public needs much more of this.

Quite a number of people own their own e-scooters and ride them in public. Some may not have a clue that they are breaking the law. Some parents let their children ride them, without even ensuring they wear a helmet, all contrary to the law.

There is nothing in place to stop stores from selling e-scooters to the public, even when it is illegal to ride them in public in most parts of Ontario. In some cities, people can also rent e-scooters.

Corporate lobbyists for e-scooter rental companies have kept up a massive feeding frenzy of lobbying city councils including Toronto’s. They laugh all the way to the bank, while victims of e-scooter injuries sob all the way to their hospital’s over-crowded emergency ward. In this election, we expect those corporate lobbyists to again be bombarding municipal candidates with their attempts to extract commitments to widely unleash e-scooters on the public.

There is overwhelming proof that it’s not good enough to just ban e-scooters from sidewalks. In every city that has banned e-scooters from sidewalks but allowed them on the roads, people still keep riding e-scooters on sidewalks. No city can afford to have a cop on every sidewalk to police those weak half-measures.

We are talking about the motorized kick-style scooters that a person stands on to ride. We of course seek no restrictions on mobility assistance devices for people with disabilities, such as the very different powered scooters on which a person sits when riding them.

The 7-year campaign against e-scooters in which the AODA Alliance has been a key player is documented on the AODA Alliance website’s www.aodaalliance.org/e-scooters

The Toronto Accessibility Advisory Committee has strongly recommended to City Council on three separate occasions not to allow e-scooters. Toronto City Council has commendably voted twice not to allow e-scooters, in 2021 and 2024. We are eager for candidates to commit that they will not try to bring it back again for yet another vote. People with disabilities should not have to re-fight this battle again and again.

2. Don’t Allow Dangerous “Scramble Intersections”

Please commit at the very least that no more scramble intersections will be established. We need to stop and reverse this trend.

The City of Toronto has converted several important urban intersections into “scramble intersections” and is planning to implement more of them. These are very harmful for pedestrians with disabilities. As too often has happened in the past, the needs of people with disabilities were not properly considered, if they were considered at all.

A scramble intersection is an intersection with traffic lights that does not operate like any other intersection. During one phase of the traffic signal cycle, all vehicles must stop from all directions. Pedestrians can then cross freely in any direction, including diagonally, across the intersection.

The traffic lights go through a cycle. There will be a pedestrian-only phase. Then there will be a vehicle traffic phase going north-south. After that will be a vehicle traffic phase with vehicles going east-west. Depending on the design, pedestrians may or may not be allowed to cross during an east-west or north-south vehicle traffic phase.

A scramble intersection is supposed to make things easier for safe pedestrian and vehicle traffic flow. However, it creates serious barriers for pedestrians with disabilities, such as:

For blind and low vision pedestrians, it creates navigation chaos, removing the vital sounds of traffic patterns needed to safely navigate across an intersection. It can add further complications for guide dog users. The presence of audible pedestrian signals at these intersections don’t solve this mess.
For pedestrians with mobility disabilities, curb cuts may not properly accommodate them. Time for crossing the intersection may not be sufficient.
For pedestrians with cognitive disabilities, it can add safety and independent navigation difficulties.

3. Do Not Build Bike Paths on a Sidewalk

Please commit to never build bike paths on the sidewalk.

Toronto as well is the site of dangerous new bike paths that were built on the sidewalk, rather than on the road level. The AODA Alliance generated extensive public attention to this new disability barrier when it released a widely viewed video depicting this danger for pedestrians with disabilities. After that video came out, Toronto built more of these, and removed none that it had earlier built.

Conclusion

Please email us at aodafeedback@gmail.com with your response to this request. We’d appreciate it if we can hear back from you by October 1, 2026 We will make public the responses we receive. We do not endorse or oppose any candidate.

If you attach a document with your response, please be sure to provide it as a MS Word document, not a pdf. PDF creates accessibility problems.

Write us at aodafeedback@gmail.com if you have any questions. We look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

David Lepofsky CM, O. Ont

Chair Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance

Twitter: @davidlepofsky

Toronto 2026 Municipal Election Pledges

Mayor

Bahira Abdulsalam

Yes. I make the Municipal Disability Accessibility Pledge: no e-scooters, no scramble intersections, and no bike paths on the sidewalk. Accessibility is non-negotiable.

Jamie Atkinson

I agree with the fundamental principle behind your request: people with disabilities should not lose their independence, safety or ability to move through Toronto because the City introduces a new transportation technology or street design.

My approach is:

Stable rights. Flexible systems. More human choice.

Accessibility is one of those stable rights.

I have attached a more detailed Word document explaining my proposed solutions, but I want to answer your three questions directly.

No e-scooters

I support maintaining and enforcing Toronto’s current prohibition unless and until a materially safer model can first be demonstrated. I am not, however, prepared to commit that every future form of standing electric scooter should be prohibited everywhere in Toronto forever.

Toronto currently prohibits electric kick-scooters on public streets, sidewalks, bicycle facilities, trails and parks.

I agree with your underlying concerns.

A blind or low-vision pedestrian should not have to detect and evade a quiet motorized device.

A wheelchair user should not encounter an abandoned scooter obstructing the sidewalk.

People should not have to share an ordinary pedestrian clearway with fast, unidentified motorized devices.

My baseline commitment is therefore:

The ordinary sidewalk remains pedestrian space.

Someone may walk an e-scooter there. They should not ride it through the pedestrian clearway.

And accessibility cannot depend on technology. A blind pedestrian should not need a phone, app, smartwatch or other device to make an ordinary sidewalk safe.

Where I differ from your proposed permanent prohibition is that I believe affordable mobility is also an inclusion issue.

Transportation expands the practical radius within which people can reach employment, education, transit, appointments, shopping, friends and family. Car ownership is not financially realistic for every Toronto resident. For someone with a limited income, lower-cost options such as bicycles, e-bikes and potentially a properly regulated future e-scooter can provide meaningful access to more of the city.

I do not believe that economic inclusion should override disability rights.

I believe we should try to solve both problems.

My question is therefore:

Can we preserve the independence and safety of people with disabilities while engineering a future form of low-cost personal mobility that is much safer and more accountable than the e-scooters operating today?

Before I would consider changing the present prohibition, I would want that demonstrated.

I call the proposed standard CitySafe.

A future permitted scooter would need to be treated much more like an accountable transportation device. I would investigate requirements including device registration, a clearly visible identification plate, rider safety training, tamper-resistant controls, appropriate braking and lighting, secure firmware, designated parking, legal-route awareness, smooth speed assistance and meaningful consequences for repeated dangerous use.

I would also test SafeRide, a privacy-preserving riding assistant operating through the scooter, a mounted phone or optional smart glasses.

It could warn a rider:

Pedestrian ahead — slow.

Store entrance — yield.

Transit boarding — stop.

Protected crossing active — slow.

Dismount ahead.

The preferred system would recognize conditions and object categories, not people’s identities: local processing, no facial recognition and no continuous central video archive.

Most importantly, the technology goes on the device creating the new risk, not on the pedestrian expected to avoid it.

Parking would also need to change. I would favour designated corrals or racks rather than free-floating sidewalk parking, with a rental trip unable to end until the system confirms that the device is properly parked and not blocking the pedestrian clearway or curb ramp.

Any technology should also fail conservatively. If its location, sensors, software or digital rules are unreliable, enhanced capabilities should disappear rather than additional permission being created.

I would start with closed testing and compensated accessibility testing—not city-wide legalization.

If a future model cannot demonstrate accessibility, safety, enforceability and reliability in real Toronto conditions, I would not support its broader legalization.

Mobility devices used by people with disabilities are entirely separate from the standing kick-scooters discussed here.

No scramble intersections

I will not commit to a blanket permanent prohibition on every scramble intersection. I will commit that a scramble should not be installed where people with disabilities cannot independently and reliably navigate it.

I understand the specific concern you have raised.

Toronto’s pedestrian-priority phases stop vehicles in all directions and allow pedestrian movement during the all-way phase. Toronto’s Accessible Pedestrian Signals ordinarily communicate directional crossing information, while APS at pedestrian-priority phases operates automatically.

Rather than choosing permanently between scramble everywhere and scramble nowhere, I would like Toronto to develop and test an adaptive alternative that I call Protected Crossing.

At a location where a scramble otherwise passes accessibility and safety testing, the normal signal operation could include the scramble.

But any pedestrian could request Protected Crossing through the physical accessible pedestrian button. A phone, smartwatch, accessible remote or other assistive interface could be optional additional ways to make the same request.

No diagnosis.

No disability registration.

No requirement to identify yourself as disabled.

When Protected Crossing is requested, the next applicable pedestrian phase would temporarily suppress the scramble and instead provide a clearly directional crossing—for example north-south or east-west—with directional audible information, tactile confirmation, sufficient crossing time and appropriately protected conflicting movements.

Toronto already uses directional audible APS information and allows pedestrian timing to be adjusted for people who require more time.

The proposed innovation is to combine those concepts dynamically:

No request → normal approved intersection operation.

Protected Crossing requested → scramble temporarily suppressed → directional accessible crossing → sufficient crossing time → normal operation resumes.

The intersection adapts; the person does not have to adapt to the intersection.

If compatible smart scooters or other connected mobility devices eventually exist, a Protected Crossing could also tell those devices to slow as they approach, while cars and trucks continue to obey the authoritative traffic signal.

But the physical button, signal and accessible crossing remain the foundation.

And my safety gate is straightforward:

If blind, low-vision, deaf-blind, mobility-disabled or cognitively disabled people cannot independently and reliably use the intersection, do not install the scramble there.

No bike paths on the sidewalk

I support the underlying objective: there should be no unseparated cycling through the pedestrian clearway.

I do not support creating an ambiguous environment where a blind pedestrian cannot reliably determine whether they are standing in pedestrian space or in a moving cycling facility.

If a cycle track is constructed at approximately sidewalk elevation, I would require it to remain a distinctly separate transportation facility—not simply become part of the sidewalk.

Toronto’s own bikeway guidelines recognize this issue. They call for separation between sidewalk-level cycle tracks and the pedestrian clearway and identify measures including planting or street furniture, textured and visually contrasting separation, and grade differences; on constrained pedestrian-oriented streets, intermediate or street-level tracks are generally preferred.

I would add accessibility-led field testing.

The question should not merely be whether the engineering drawing shows two different surfaces.

It should be:

Can a blind or low-vision pedestrian independently determine where the pedestrian route is and remain within it?

If not, redesign it.

There is also a broader planning issue.

Toronto has finite street width. We cannot continually create another permanent lane for every new mobility category.

Roads also support accessible transportation, transit, emergency response, workers, families, trades, deliveries, freight and businesses.

That does not mean accessibility gets traded against traffic flow.

Independent accessibility and the pedestrian clearway are baseline requirements.

Once those requirements are protected, however, I want Toronto to examine the full transportation system before permanently reallocating scarce space.

I propose a Transportation Function Replacement Test.

Before significantly removing an existing transportation function, Toronto should measure what capability is being removed, what replaces it, where displaced demand goes, what happens to accessible transportation, transit, emergency access, freight and neighbourhood traffic, and how much actual mode change occurs.

Mode shift should be measured, not assumed.

And the analysis should not be reduced to “bike lane or no bike lane.”

With modern compute and modelling, Toronto can compare multiple alternatives and combinations before committing to concrete.

The objective should be to preserve accessibility and safety while maximizing the useful movement of people, goods and services across the complete network.

The principle behind my response

I do not see this as disabled people versus scooter riders, cyclists or drivers.

I want Toronto to be a city where a person who is blind can independently use the sidewalk, a wheelchair user can move without obstruction, a person who needs extra crossing time can request it, a worker with a limited income can reach a job affordably, transit can move large numbers of people, a tradesperson can reach a customer with equipment, and businesses can receive the goods and services they depend on.

Our physical space is finite.

That means better city planning should increasingly ask:

What rights must remain stable, and what systems around those rights can become more flexible?

Signals can adapt.

Crossing time can adapt.

Curbs can change function.

Vehicles can slow.

Parking can be controlled.

Riders can be trained.

Devices can be identified.

Construction routes can update.

Computers can model alternatives before we build them.

But certain things should remain dependable:

the pedestrian clearway; independent navigation; accessible crossings; physical fallbacks; and the ability to use the city without being required to own technology.

That is what I mean by The Adaptive City:

Keep people’s rights stable. Make the systems around them flexible.

I also believe the people most affected should help design and test these systems. I would welcome the AODA Alliance and people with lived experience participating in an Accessibility Red Team to challenge concepts such as Protected Crossing, accessible cycling separation, CitySafe and SafeRide before implementation.

The attached Word document provides considerably more detail on these proposals.

Thank you again for raising these issues and for giving candidates the opportunity to respond.

Habiba Desai

I support a barrier-free Toronto and would make accessibility a priority in transportation and public-space planning.

Full Ban on E-Scooters and E-Bikes
I support a full ban on e-scooters and e-bikes in Toronto’s public spaces. Mobility devices used by people with disabilities would, of course, remain exempt.
No New Scramble Intersections
I would not support new scramble intersections without a thorough accessibility assessment and meaningful consultation with people with disabilities.
Move Bike Infrastructure Off Sidewalks
I would prioritize alleys, laneways, appropriate side streets and expanded existing trails for cycling infrastructure rather than placing bike paths near sidewalks.

Toronto should work for everyone — including people with disabilities, seniors, families, pedestrians and cyclists.

Darrell Brown

I’ve reviewed the Municipal Disability Accessibility Pledge and the record behind it, including Toronto City Council’s repeated votes and the Toronto Accessibility Advisory Committee’s repeated recommendations, and I am pleased to make the pledge.

One of the recurring themes of my campaign is that City Hall too often treats resident and advisory-body input as something to be consulted and then set aside, rather than something that actually shapes the outcome. The Toronto Accessibility Advisory Committee has recommended against electric scooters on three separate occasions and against sidewalk-level bike infrastructure through its own public advocacy. That input should be treated as binding guidance in transportation design decisions, not advice a future Council can quietly revisit. My commitments below reflect that principle as much as they reflect the specific asks in your letter.

No Electric Scooters

I commit not to allow electric scooters., the motorized, stand-on kick-style scooters your letter describes, on Toronto’s roads, sidewalks, or park paths, and to direct the City to enforce that ban consistently rather than through occasional, short-lived blitzes. Toronto City Council has voted twice, in 2021 and in 2024, to keep this ban in place, each time after clear input from the accessibility community. I will not bring forward or support a motion to revisit that decision, and I will not accept the argument that a ban not perfectly enforced should therefore be lifted; the answer to weak enforcement is better enforcement, not surrender to it. This commitment does not extend to mobility assistance devices, including seated powered scooters used by people with disabilities, which are a separate matter entirely and remain essential and unaffected.

No New Scramble Intersections

I commit that no new scramble intersections will be established in Toronto under my administration. The case your letter makes is one I take seriously: removing the ambient traffic-flow cues that blind and low-vision pedestrians rely on, adding complications for guide dog users, and creating added risk for pedestrians with mobility and cognitive disabilities are not minor side effects of an efficiency measure, they are new barriers, and the City should not be in the business of creating new barriers while claiming to advance accessibility elsewhere. Any future intersection redesign proposal will require meaningful, early consultation with the Toronto Accessibility Advisory Committee, and that input will be treated as a condition of approval, not a formality.

No Bike Paths Built on the Sidewalk

I commit that the City will not build new cycling infrastructure merged into sidewalk-level pedestrian space. To be clear about what this commitment does and does not mean: it is not a retreat from building safe, connected cycling infrastructure across Toronto, which I continue to support. It is an insistence that new cycling infrastructure be properly separated from pedestrian space and built at road grade, so that solving one safety problem does not create another for blind and low-vision pedestrians, wheelchair users, and others who rely on a predictable, unobstructed sidewalk. Good cycling infrastructure and good accessibility are not in tension when the design work is done properly, and I will hold City staff to that standard.

I recognize that corporate lobbying pressure on these questions, particularly on e-scooters, will continue through this campaign and beyond it. I want to be unambiguous: these commitments will not move because of lobbying pressure after the election. People with disabilities should not have to re-fight settled battles every election cycle, and I don’t intend to make them do so.

Jack Hartley

I can commit to points 1 and 3, and work towards improving scramble intersections for those with disabilities.

Mohamad Kaaki

As an Architect Int. and Urban Planning Specialist, and a candidate for Mayor of Toronto 2026, I believe accessibility, safety, and dignity must be fundamental principles in the design of our city.

1-Scramble Intersections: Existing and proposed intersections should be reviewed to ensure safe and independent movement for people with disabilities. I would not support designs that create accessibility barriers.

2-Bike Lanes and Sidewalks: Cycling infrastructure must not compromise pedestrian safety or accessibility. Bike lanes and pedestrian areas should be clearly and safely separated.

3-Accessibility in Decision-Making: People with disabilities and accessibility experts should be meaningfully consulted before major changes to Toronto’s streets, intersections, and public spaces are approved. My goal is a Toronto that is safe, accessible, and inclusive for everyone.

Michael Lamoureux

Thank-you for your email raising these three accessibility issues. I think you raise some very valid concerns and I believe the City can survive without these three items.

As a Toronto Mayor candidate, I can commit to all three requests. No sidewalk level bike paths (which I already did not support, for other practical reasons). No scramble intersections (this was new to me, but I wouldn’t miss them). No e-scooters (which I already wanted to ban as a public nuisance).

Odessa Paloma Parker

I pledge to your commitments below, and I’ll add that I want to extend street light crossing times as I don’t believe they’re adequate for accessibility. And as soon as I enter office, I commit to creating an action plan around a streetscape blitz to rehabilitate our roads and sidewalks.

Lyall Sanders

I truly am an advocate for people with physical and mental challenges. Besides the fact that there are members of my family with such challenges, I used to drive a bus for Cardinal Coach Lines to transport students to school who were likewise afflicted. Some on crutches, some in wheelchairs and a few who were all but immobile.

As far as e-scooters go, my policies would be that rules must be strictly kept. If individuals are travelling at excessive speeds or driving on sidewalks, they would at least fined for their actions. This includes those riding bicycles as well as powered two wheel devices.

Helmets would be required for all ages riding power two wheel vehicles.

“Scramble intersections” must be properly assessed, and if need be, safeguards put in place to protect all who use them. Special care must be implemented for those with disabilities.

Bike do not belong on sidewalks and offenders need to receive consequences for their actions.

I hope this answers your questions.

Toronto must be safe for all.

Robert Shusterman

My brother is mentally disabled. This country does nothing for me or for him

Josh Thompson

As a candidate for Mayor of Toronto I support tearing down disability barriers and not creating new ones.

On your Municipal Disability Accessibility Pledge:

Electric scooters YES: I will not allow e-scooters in public places (roads, parks, sidewalks) and the City should vigorously enforce the law. Silent high-speed machines and abandoned scooters are a hazard to people with disabilities, seniors, and kids.
2) Scramble intersections — YES: no new scramble intersections.
3) Bike paths on sidewalks YES: never build bike paths on the sidewalk.

Ward 1

Nathen Mazri

I support maintaining and properly enforcing Toronto’s prohibition on stand-up e-scooters in public spaces, while of course protecting mobility devices used by people with disabilities.

I also oppose designing bike infrastructure that creates unnecessary conflicts between cyclists and pedestrians on sidewalks.

On pedestrian scrambles, I take the disability community’s concerns very seriously, particularly those of blind, low-vision and mobility-impaired Torontonians. Before pledging to a blanket prohibition on every configuration, however, I want transportation and accessibility decisions to be based on evidence, intersection-specific safety data and direct consultation with people with disabilities.

My commitment is simple: Toronto should never knowingly design new infrastructure that creates a disability barrier.

Ward 2

Jennifer Alexander

I am pleased to commit to the Municipal Disability Accessibility Pledge.

I fully believe that accessibility cannot be something we consider after a transportation project has been designed. By that time, it can be too late. Accessibility needs to be part of the design from the beginning, and people with lived experience need to be meaningfully involved in those decisions.

This is an issue that has become very personal to me over the past year. My husband spent two months using a wheelchair after breaking his leg. We knew that his mobility would eventually improve, but during those two months we experienced our neighbourhood very differently. Uneven pavement, poorly maintained roads, difficult curb cuts and intersections that felt unsafe to cross were not simply inconveniences. They affected where we could go, how we could get there and whether leaving the house felt manageable.

This was over the winter, and once the snow and ice hit, he was stuck at home for weeks. Even attempting to go out by car, outside of medical appointments, could feel beyond difficult.

That experience reinforced something I have heard from residents for years: for people who live with mobility, vision or other disabilities every day, the accessibility of our streets and public spaces is not a temporary concern. It is a fundamental part of being able to participate in community life.

E-scooters

I support Toronto continuing to prohibit electric kick-scooters on public property and enforcing that prohibition. The accessibility and enforcement concerns raised by the Toronto Accessibility Advisory Committee deserve to be taken seriously.

You can find further concerns I have about e-scooters in a recent post at ThisMomRoars.substack.com, where I discuss the youth safety issues I also have with these devices.

I support meaningful enforcement of the existing rules. A prohibition that is routinely ignored does not provide meaningful protection for pedestrians. I recognize that much of this is also within the provincial government’s jurisdiction, and I would be prepared to continue advocating for an update to the Highway Traffic Act so that proper actions could be taken.

Scramble intersections

I will not support establishing new pedestrian scramble intersections because I have seen first hand the difficulties these cause when a pedestrian requires mobility assistance. or has cognitive issues that require more time to process the situation. I would take your concerns very seriously in any decisions on design and I can confirm that I would not support these crossings in Ward 2.

In particular, I am concerned about the impact on people who are blind or have low vision, people with mobility disabilities, and people who may have difficulty navigating a more complicated intersection environment.

I believe all future proposals in intersection design should require meaningful accessibility review and consultation before it proceeds, rather than assuming that a treatment designed to improve pedestrian movement will work equally well for every pedestrian.

Cycling infrastructure and sidewalks

I support expanding safe cycling infrastructure in Toronto while at the same time, sidewalks must remain safe, predictable and accessible spaces for pedestrians and people using mobility devices.

I therefore support the commitment that new cycling infrastructure should not be placed on the pedestrian path in a way that creates conflicts or barriers for people walking or using mobility aids.

This is something I will be watching particularly closely as we look at the future of the Etobicoke Hydro Greenway. I fully support the vision of creating new park space and a connected route that can bring neighbourhoods together. I believe the Greenway has the potential to be an important community asset and that is why I am proud to be part of The Friends of The Etobicoke Greenway, and have tabled for the group at many local events.

At the same time, I have concerns about any design where people cycling and people walking are simply expected to share the same path without sufficient consideration for accessibility and safety. A multi-use path needs to work for everyone who will use it, including seniors, people with mobility devices, people who are blind or have low vision, families with young children, pedestrians and cyclists.

As this design moves forward for this project, I will be looking very closely at how different users are accommodated and how these conflicts could be prevented. I will advocate for a design that provides clearly defined and appropriate space for different users wherever the site allows, rather than simply putting everyone onto the same path and expecting pedestrians to navigate around faster-moving cyclists.

I see no contradiction between championing the Greenway as a new path system and community connection and at the same time asking for a better, more accessible design. In fact, I believe creating accessible infrastructure from the beginning is how we ensure this investment serves the entire community for generations to come.

Where cycling infrastructure is proposed at sidewalk level or immediately adjacent to pedestrian space, accessibility cannot be treated as an afterthought. There needs to be clear, physically and visually detectable separation, safe crossings, appropriate curb treatments and enough space for pedestrians to move independently.

For me, this comes down to a simple principle: one person’s transportation solution should not become another person’s accessibility barrier.

As a candidate for Toronto City Council in Ward 2 Etobicoke Centre, I am committed to making accessibility part of how I approach transportation, road safety, public space and community planning. That means listening to people with disabilities before decisions are made, not asking them to fight to fix a barrier after it has been built.

I am happy to make this commitment publicly and to continue working with accessibility advocates and residents to make Etobicoke Centre and Toronto more accessible, safe and inclusive.

Ward 3

Anthony Internicola

Accessibility is very important to me. I believe Toronto should be a city where people with disabilities, seniors, families, pedestrians, cyclists and drivers can move around safely and independently.

I have carefully considered the three commitments you have presented.

Electric Scooters

I support keeping sidewalks safe and accessible for pedestrians, particularly people who are blind or have low vision, people with mobility challenges, seniors and children.

At the same time, I believe there can be properly designed and separated trails or designated areas where certain forms of transportation, including bicycles, e-bikes and potentially e-scooters, can operate safely without interfering with pedestrians.

I therefore cannot commit to a complete ban in every public space. However, I strongly support keeping these devices off sidewalks and ensuring proper enforcement where they create a danger or accessibility barrier.

To be absolutely clear, mobility-assistance scooters and other mobility devices used by people with disabilities must continue to be fully accommodated.

Scramble Intersections

I take the concerns you have raised about scramble intersections seriously, particularly for people who are blind, have low vision, mobility disabilities or cognitive disabilities.

I would not support expanding these intersections without first demonstrating that they can be made safe and accessible. Accessibility cannot be an afterthought when Toronto designs its streets and intersections.

Bike Paths on Sidewalks

I agree that sidewalks should first and foremost provide a safe and accessible space for pedestrians.

I support properly designed and separated cycling infrastructure where it makes sense. I do not support creating bike paths that compromise pedestrian safety or create accessibility barriers on sidewalks.

More broadly, I believe transportation infrastructure must be considered street by street and community by community. What works safely in one location may not work in another.

If elected as Councillor for Ward 3, Etobicoke–Lakeshore, I will listen directly to people with disabilities and accessibility advocates when decisions affecting them are being made. Accessibility should be part of the decision from the beginning, not something addressed after a project has already been designed.

Ward 4

Vanessa Raponi

Please find below my stances:

E-scooters:
The presence of e-scooters in our community demonstrates a gap in affordable, reliable, low-carbon and efficient transportation methods that is not filled, as well as the lack of enforcement of existing bylaws. Rather than committing to banning electric scooters, I would propose improving education around e-scooters, ensuring safety in terms of storage in residential buildings (to prevent fires), and working together with community members to improve regulation on e-scooters. It’s imperative that throughout this bylaw regulation development, that we bring experts within the disabled community to the table, to ensure AODA perspectives are interwoven into policy creation.
Scramble Intersections

Hearing from those with disabilities and understanding their experience is important when it comes to planning. I would be open to reviewing reports, understanding why any pre-existing scramble intersections were implemented, and whether there are any other solutions to address pedestrian traffic. I will commit to monitoring future approvals and ensuring accesibility lenses are closely interwoven by bringing disability experts to consult on all stages of consideration.

Bike Paths on Sidewalks

I commit to this plank of the pledge in its entirety. Bike paths need to be safe for all users of the roads and sidewalks, including drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists – including folks with disabilities in any of the above groups. Bike paths should be physically separated, allowing cyclists safety, and they should not encroach on already limited and crowded sidewalks.

Bridget Ogundipe

As a candidate for Toronto City Council in Ward 4 (Parkdale–High Park), I truly appreciate the guide you sent over. My campaign is all about listening to our neighbours and protecting our most vulnerable residents. I completely agree with your goals, and I am glad to sign on to your Municipal Disability Accessibility Pledge.

Here is where I stand on the three areas you brought up:

No E-Scooters on Roads or Sidewalks

I fully support keeping the current ban on electric scooters in Toronto. City Council made the right choice by voting against them in 2021 and 2024, and we should not keep reopening this debate.

E-scooters move fast and are completely silent. They pose a real danger to seniors, children, and neighbours with vision loss or mobility challenges. When left tipped over on sidewalks, they create tripping hazards and block paths for wheelchair users.

My Promise: I will vote “no” to any future attempts to bring rental e-scooters to Toronto. I will also push for better enforcement so people stop illegally riding and selling them in public spaces. People with disabilities in Toronto should not have to fight this exact same battle a third time.

No More New Scramble Intersections

City planning should never make life harder for people with disabilities. While scramble intersections are meant to help people cross, they actually create a lot of confusion.

For blind and low-vision neighbours—and guide dog users—these intersections take away the predictable traffic sounds needed to cross the street safely. They can also be confusing for people with cognitive disabilities and don’t always give pedestrians with limited mobility enough time to cross.

My Promise: I promise to oppose any new scramble intersections in Toronto, until we can deeply review their safety alongside the accessibility community.

Keeping Bike Paths Off Our Sidewalks

Sidewalks must be a safe, dedicated space for pedestrians. Building bike lanes on top of sidewalks—instead of down on the road—creates dangerous mix-ups. It takes away the safe, predictable paths that visually impaired and vulnerable residents rely on to get around their neighbourhoods independently.

My Promise: I promise to oppose any street design that puts bike paths on sidewalks. We can build great infrastructure for cyclists on the road level while keeping our sidewalks safe for pedestrians and transit users of all abilities.

Strengthening My “Universal Accessibility” Platform

Your letter perfectly aligns with what I care deeply about, which is why “Universal Accessibility” is already a core pillar of my campaign platform.

This means I am committed to a simple rule: City Hall must never use public money to build new barriers. Whether we are building a new community centre, upgrading a park, or fixing a transit stop, the lived experiences of Torontonians with disabilities must be included at the very beginning of the design—not added on later as an afterthought.

Ward 5

Sharmarke Ali

Accessibility and public safety should be fundamental considerations in how Toronto designs and manages public spaces.

I support the following commitments:

Electric scooters: I support maintaining Toronto’s existing prohibition on electric kick-scooters on public property and enforcing the rules consistently. This commitment does not apply to legitimate mobility devices used by people with disabilities.
Scramble intersections: I will not support new scramble intersections unless the City can demonstrate, through meaningful accessibility consultation and appropriate assessment, that they will be safe and independently navigable for people with different disabilities.
Cycling infrastructure: I will not support placing cycling facilities in pedestrian space where they create accessibility or safety barriers. Toronto should design cycling infrastructure that protects accessible, unobstructed pedestrian routes and clearly separates cyclists from pedestrians.

More broadly, I believe accessibility should be considered at the beginning of transportation and infrastructure planning—not after a project has already been designed. People with disabilities, seniors and other vulnerable road users should have a meaningful voice in decisions affecting how they move through our city.

My approach is practical: make Toronto safer, more accessible and easier to navigate while ensuring that public infrastructure works for everyone.

Ward 6

Conroy Irving

I agree that accessibility and safety must be fundamental considerations in municipal decision-making, and that the City should not create new barriers while attempting to improve transportation and public space.

I am pleased to make the following commitments:

No e-scooters in public places: I will not support permitting motorized stand-up e-scooters in Toronto’s public spaces. I support maintaining the current prohibition and ensuring that it is effectively and consistently enforced, particularly where e-scooters create hazards for pedestrians and people with disabilities.

No new scramble intersections: I will not support establishing additional scramble intersections without first demonstrating that they are fully accessible and safe for pedestrians with disabilities. Given the concerns raised about navigation, audible cues, crossing times and other barriers, I believe the City should take a cautious approach and prioritize accessibility.

No bike paths on sidewalks: I will not support the construction of bike paths on sidewalks where doing so creates barriers or safety risks for pedestrians, particularly people with disabilities. Cycling infrastructure should be designed so that pedestrians retain safe, accessible and unobstructed sidewalks and pedestrian routes.

More broadly, I believe Toronto needs to adopt a principle that accessibility is considered at the beginning of transportation and infrastructure planning, not after a project has already been designed or constructed. People with disabilities should have a meaningful voice in decisions that affect their ability to move safely and independently throughout the city.

Ward 7

Ward 8

Mike Colle

It would be Mike’s pleasure to sign the “No Disability Barriers Pledge”. We are glad you both had the time to discuss the matter in person at your doorstep!

Although a scramble has been planned for Yonge and Eglinton, Mike is committed to meaningful consultation with the disability community to explore how they can be made to work safely and effectively, barrier-free.

Jason McDonald

Here’s where I stand:

1. E-scooters — No.

I’ll oppose allowing e-scooters in Toronto, and I’ll support active enforcement of the existing ban. A silent hazard moving at 20+ km/h on sidewalks and park paths doesn’t belong in a dense urban ward where seniors, children, and people with disabilities share every block. The Toronto Accessibility Advisory Committee has recommended against them three times. Council has voted against them twice. I won’t bring it back for a third vote.

2. Scramble intersections — No new ones until there’s a proper accessibility review.

I won’t commit to ripping out existing scrambles without understanding what replaces them — but I’ll commit to a moratorium on new ones until a full accessibility audit is completed, with the Accessibility Advisory Committee as the lead reviewer, not a late-stage sign-off. The current pattern — install first, discover barriers later — has to stop.

3. Bike paths on sidewalks — No.

Bike infrastructure belongs at road level, protected where needed but never on the walking surface. A sidewalk is for pedestrians. Period. I’ll support protected bike lanes that are physically separated from both traffic and pedestrians — not a stripe of paint on a curb ramp that puts a cyclist in the path of a wheelchair user.

Enzo Torrone

I am fully aligned with your vision of a barrier-free Toronto and support the core intent of the Municipal Disability Accessibility Pledge. Regarding the specific planks you raised:

E-scooters: I agree with your concerns and support maintaining a ban on e-scooters in public places alongside strict enforcement to prevent safety and tripping hazards.
Bike Paths on Sidewalks: I fully agree that bike paths should not be built on sidewalks, as pedestrian spaces must remain safe and accessible for everyone.
Scramble Intersections: I share your concern that current scramble intersections create navigational challenges, noise confusion, and safety issues for individuals with disabilities. However, rather than scrapping the program entirely, my goal is to advocate for a modified, accessibility-first approach. I support re-engineering these intersections—incorporating enhanced audible signals, improved curb cuts, and updated designs—to ensure they are safe, intuitive, and fully accessible for people with all types of disabilities before any additional locations are considered.

Thank you again for your tireless advocacy. I welcome further dialogue on how we can collaborate to eliminate barriers and build a safer, more accessible Toronto for all residents.

Ward 9

Ward 10

Ian Cunningham

I am pleased to support the principles of your Municipal Disability Accessibility Pledge.

A city that works for everyone must be designed with accessibility and safety at its core. Too often, people living with disabilities are asked to navigate public spaces that fail to consider their needs. As we continue to build and improve our neighbourhoods, accessibility cannot be treated as an afterthought.

Andi Hoàng-Lefranc

A main feature of my platform is to make Ward 10 – Spadina-Fort York and the City more accessible for all, which includes improving the City’s accessible infrastructure and increasing disability inclusion in public spaces. You can read more about my campaign’s platform here.

To answer the AODA’s inquiry, I am committed to the Municipal Disability Accessibility Pledge but would like to work with groups like the AODA and residents with disability on what an accessible scramble crossing can be. Please find below my expanded comments on the points of the Municipal Disability Accessibility Pledge.

Don’t Allow Electric Scooters

Electric scooters are a threat not just for residents with disabilities but also for our other vulnerable neighbours, like children and our elderly. Additionally, these scooters carry an increased risk of catching on fire which is a danger to the general public. Not only do I support a ban of these scooters, City Hall must take proactive action to ban the sale of such scooters to stop the problem at its roots. This action has been taken by other major cities like NYC and Toronto should follow suit.

Don’t Allow Dangerous “Scramble Intersections”

I agree that scramble intersections in their current configuration are unsafe for all residents not just those with disabilities. The current practice of treating a scramble crossing as a free-for-all fails to ensure that our cross walks remain safe and accessible to all residents. If scramble crossings do go ahead, City Hall must use it as an opportunity to improve the overall accessibility of our City’s infrastructure.
Other cities have found solutions to developing scramble crossings that can accommodate residents with disabilities. In Tokyo, they employ crossing guards at their scramble crossing to better direct the public and their movements to ensure that residents with disabilities can traverse the intersection safely. Additionally other cities have taken the opportunity to ensure that when cross walk is converted into a scramble crossing that the accessible infrastructure is upgraded to actually work with the mobility needs of their residents.

Do Not Build Bike Paths on a Sidewalk

As a biker, I know first hand that City’s hall lack of forethought when building bike paths has resulted in more dangerous roads for all residents. Instead of steam rolling ahead with integrating bike paths on sidewalks, the City must first mitigate the harm that the current bike paths on sidewalks presents, by the inclusion of better street barriers and navigation infrastructure.

Ward 11

Gian Pileri

I support the goal of removing existing barriers and preventing new ones. However, I cannot endorse all three commitments exactly as written. My positions are as follows.

Electric kick-scooters

I support maintaining Toronto’s prohibition on electric kick-scooters in public spaces. I would not support lifting that prohibition or introducing an e-scooter rental program.

I would advocate for sustained, consistent enforcement, clear public information and reporting on results. Residents should be able to count on safe sidewalks every day. I would also support working with retailers to make the restrictions clear before purchase.

This position does not apply to mobility assistance devices used by people with disabilities.

Scramble intersections

I take seriously the concerns you raise, particularly the navigation difficulties experienced by blind and low-vision pedestrians. I am willing to listen, learn from people’s experiences and support modifications where barriers are identified.

I am not prepared to commit to a blanket ban on all new scramble intersections. I would support assessing each proposed location with people with disabilities, accessibility specialists and transportation staff, drawing on research and practical testing. The assessment should establish whether people can identify the correct crossing, maintain their direction and complete it safely and independently. Installing audible signals alone should not be treated as proof that these needs have been met.

Where problems are identified at existing intersections, I would advocate for changes to signals, crossing times or physical design, including a different crossing arrangement where necessary. My aim is to ensure that pedestrian-safety improvements also deliver accessibility.

Bike paths and sidewalks

I support protecting pedestrian space and providing safe, physically separated cycling infrastructure. I would oppose designs that merge bicycle traffic into the pedestrian sidewalk or leave the boundary difficult to detect.

However, I would distinguish those designs from a separate cycle track that happens to be at sidewalk height. I would assess the actual design, including clear and detectable separation, sufficient sidewalk space, safe crossings, and accessible routes to transit stops and building entrances. Paint or colour differences alone would not be sufficient.

Where existing cycling infrastructure creates disability barriers, I would advocate for corrective work informed by the people experiencing those barriers.

Across all three issues, my commitment is to listen, explain decisions and follow through with practical improvements. Accessibility must be considered before projects are approved and maintained through dependable snow clearing, repairs and safe routes around construction.

A proactive City Hall that listens, explains, and delivers must make accessibility part of its everyday decisions and take responsibility for fixing barriers when they are identified.

Ward 12

David Cottrell

I reviewed the requests carefully, but I have concerns with several of the proposed commitments.

In particular, I am not comfortable committing to a permanent blanket ban on e-scooters, prohibiting scramble intersections outright, or ruling out all sidewalk-level cycling infrastructure regardless of design.

I support strong accessibility standards, meaningful consultation, and enforcement against unsafe behaviour, but I believe these issues require evidence-based, site-specific solutions rather than absolute prohibitions.

For that reason, I will not be signing the commitments as written.

Ward 13

Morgan Harris

I agree with all three points. I would be happy to discuss how we can pursue this if I get elected.

Daniel Tate

Here’s a quick summary of my thoughts on each topic:

1. E-Scooters

While I am not in favour of an outright ban, I have been very vocal in calling for a comprehensive licensing, insurance, and regulatory regime for these machines. The current bylaws have no teeth, and are being flouted with impunity. Even the latest Toronto Police blitzes are having a negligible effect. These machines, as you know, can go up to speeds of 50 km/h, and with the rider, weigh hundreds of pounds. This combination can prove to be lethal if there is an impact. That is why these machines have no business being on sidewalks, paths, and other areas where vulnerable users are. With a regulatory regime in place, these e-scooter riders will have to undergo driver training, be subject to the Highway Traffic Act, and have full insurance and licensing. This will modify their behaviour and provide behavioural incentives for them to ride these with care and diligence. As Councillor, I would reach out to my Provincial counterparts advocating for this much needed policy change. Augmenting that would be a crackdown on illegal e-scooter vendors, who are also known to modify lithium-ion batteries and other components that make them illegal and dangerous. These vendors need to be fined and potentially charged if they continue their unsafe retail practice.

2. Scrambles

I am generally in favour of pedestrian scrambles only where the volume justifies. For example, the corner of Yonge and Dundas is very congested with people, streetcars, and vehicles, and benefits from the scramble which allows a high volume of people to traverse. I would be amenable to ways to make a scramble like this safer for those with AODA needs – such as higher volume beeps and audible directions, or a dedicated AODA lane within the scramble. Unless an intersection’s volume clearly justifies a scramble and can demonstrate major increases in pedestrian mobility – I would generally not support them.

3. Sidewalks

Sidewalks are for pedestrians and pedestrians only, and should stay that way.

Nicki Ward

As a person with a disability who lives with complex physical and cognitive conditions, and as a long-time human rights advocate and community leader, I give my full, unreserved endorsement to the Municipal Disability Accessibility Pledge.

I stand completely behind all three planks:

No E-Scooters: Electric scooters are a silent menace on our sidewalks and roads. They endanger seniors, children, and people with disabilities, transforming our walkways into tripping hazards and inaccessible obstacle courses. Banning them from sidewalks is not enough; Toronto must strictly prohibit them in public spaces and back that ban with aggressive, effective law enforcement.
No Scramble Intersections: Scramble intersections destroy critical navigational cues for blind and low-vision pedestrians, create time barriers for those with mobility issues, and introduce chaotic traffic patterns that compromise safety for people with cognitive disabilities. We must halt and reverse this dangerous trend.
No Bike Paths on Sidewalks: Sidewalks belong to pedestrians. Building bike lanes on sidewalk levels creates direct, unacceptable safety hazards and mobility barriers. City infrastructure must maintain clear, safe physical passage for everyone.

For far too long, Toronto has treated accessibility as a bureaucratic afterthought or a “cost” rather than a fundamental human right and a core investment. My platform is built on moving past lip service to enforce real structural change:

Strict Enforcement & Unified Standards: We need local traffic police and bylaw officers directly enforcing traffic safety, clearing sidewalk obstructions, and enforcing a single universal design standard across all street furniture, bike lanes, and construction works.
Universal Design Standards: Accessibility must be hard-coded into city practices and infrastructure from day one. We must measure transportation success by a universal standard: the number of people safely and inclusively moved.
Citizen-Led Disability Watchdog Group: I am committed to creating and funding a citizen-led disability watchdog group to actively monitor municipal works, hold city departments accountable, and immediately call out non-compliant, abusive infrastructure practices.

Ward 14

Susan Chapelle

I have been endorsed by Gil Peñalosa, founder of 8 80 Cities, whose approach to planning cities for people of all ages and abilities aligns with my own. As a councillor in Squamish, I helped introduce tactile indicators to make pedestrian infrastructure more accessible, and involved those with mobility challenges to help with our road and pedestrian infrastructure planning.

On e-scooters, I support enforcement of Toronto’s existing restrictions, alongside clear public education. Sidewalks must remain safe and unobstructed, with continued access for people using mobility assistance devices.

I cannot support a blanket prohibition on scramble intersections. Stopping all vehicle traffic can provide a safer crossing opportunity for people with disabilities. Accessible audible signals, tactile guidance and adequate crossing times should be incorporated and tested with people with different disabilities to ensure they can navigate safely and independently. I recognize your concern that sound alone does not resolve every navigation barrier.

I support dedicated cycling infrastructure that preserves accessible pedestrian space. My 86 year old disabled dad relies on cycling for transit. Cycling routes must be physically separated from pedestrian routes, with safe, accessible crossings and transit access. Existing designs that create barriers need to be corrected.

I commit to involving people with disabilities early in street design, evaluating how completed projects work in practice and holding the City accountable for removing barriers to accessible transportation.

Michael Mitchell

I only pledge two of the three. I support scramble intersections.

Denise Walcott

I, Denise Walcott, candidate for Toronto City Council in Ward 14, Toronto–Danforth, commit to the Municipal Disability Accessibility Pledge:

I will support maintaining Toronto’s prohibition on electric kick scooters in public spaces and improving education and enforcement. E-scooters ridden or left on sidewalks create serious dangers and barriers for wheelchair users, blind and low-vision pedestrians, seniors and others.

I will not support the creation of additional scramble intersections. Any changes to existing intersections must be guided by meaningful consultation with people with disabilities and an accessibility and safety review.

I will not support building bicycle paths on sidewalks. I support safe, protected cycling infrastructure that is clearly separated from pedestrian space and does not create barriers for people with disabilities.

Accessibility must be included from the beginning of every City decision, not addressed only after a new barrier has been created.

Ward 15

Sheena Sharp

I don’t agree with #1. I think we need to figure out how to regulate scooters.

The other 2 I agree with.

Ward 16

Stacey Moffatt

Thank you so much for your insight into our city’s design as it pertains to your disability. I feel I am very aware of accessibility needs, as I have a family member who was recently assigned to a wheelchair; however, as you pointed out, we do not always consider how designs impact each disability. I want to be the change to make our city more accessible. If elected, I promise to consider this when voting on design improvements recommended to improve our city.

Ward 17

Ward 18

Ward 19

Syeda Jaana Ali

I am committed to ensuring that Toronto’s public spaces remain safe, accessible, and barrier-free for all residents, particularly seniors, persons with disabilities, and other vulnerable pedestrians.

I support the key principles of the Municipal Disability Accessibility Pledge:

No electric scooters.
• No scramble intersections that may create additional accessibility and safety challenges.
• No bike paths on sidewalks.

I have serious concerns regarding the increasing number of accidents, near misses, and safety incidents involving e-scooters and e-bikes on sidewalks and pedestrian spaces. In addition, lithium-ion battery fires associated with improperly regulated devices have become a growing public safety concern across many jurisdictions. While active transportation has an important role to play in our city, public safety and accessibility must come first.

I therefore advocate for stronger regulation, enforcement, and accountability measures for e-scooters and e-bikes to ensure they do not compromise the safety of pedestrians or create barriers for people with disabilities.

As Councillor, I will support policies that prioritize accessibility, pedestrian safety, and the creation of public spaces that can be safely used by everyone.

Jeff Wahl

Here’s my responses to your questions:

No e-scooters:

– Without full-scale blanket enforcement, bans quickly become symbolic only. So I understand your frustrations. One way to attack this is by regulating the source. Any business selling or renting e- scooters should not only require a special license with liability insurance regs, but any sale/rental needs involve a license plate, linked to a manufacturer serial number, with the buyer being an adult with a driver’s license and their own insurance. Otherwise, we’re just playing wack-a-mole

No scramble intersections:

– tough one as I see the benefits for able bodied safety and vehicle traffic flow. However, you make an important point about non consultation with the ability impaired community. This needs to happen immediately and improvements to existing intersections implemented (I don’t see them going away) and any new scramble intersection MUST be fully vetted by the AODA and other adjacent bodies.

No bike paths on the sidewalk:

– This one is an easy agree. What a ridiculous design.

Ward 20

Ward 21

Bahareh Barahmand

I am in full support of the points outlined in your message, as well as those of the aoda committee.

Ward 22

Dan Lovell

I absolutely support your first two commitments. For the third one, I am conflicted. I strongly support bike paths separated from car roadways as both being safer for cyclists and reducing congestion and conflict on roads.

Are there possible methods or additions that could make these bike paths more noticeable and/or safe for people with low-vision/blindness? Or some other arrangement that would be safe for both pedestrians and cyclists?

Rakhee Kotecha

I commit to all three

Ward 23

Ward 24

Ward 25

Ashan Fernando

This email is confirmation that I unequivocally stand with the Municipal Disability Accessibility Pledge.

I’m a City Of Toronto Councillor Candidate For The 3rd Time Running For Ward 25, Scarborough-Rouge Park & A Person With Autism & Developmental Disability. I Am Also Part Of The Surrey Place Self-Advocacy Council For People With All Disabilities & Former Board Member Of Surrey Place.

I Will 100% Support All Individuals With All Kinds Of Disabilities Including Intellectual, Developmental & Physical Disabilities To Have A Barrier Free Society Across Canada & Toronto.