By Lincoln DePradine

Discussions are underway to garner feedback on a proposal that includes greater safety on the streets of Malvern, in east Scarborough, for senior residents, cyclists, schoolchildren and other pedestrians. Under an MWSP – “Malvern West Streets Plan’’ – they are described as “vulnerable road users’’.

The MWSP was the subject of a community consultation, at Lester B. Pearson Collegiate Institute, hosted Tuesday by Toronto City Councillor, Jamaal Myers, who explained that the meeting was part of a process “for residents to learn more about the project, provide feedback and ask questions’’.

The areas covered by the MWSP project are located between Markham Road to the west, Finch Avenue East to the north, Neilson Road to the east, and Sheppard Avenue to the south.

“Last year, city staff requested each councillor to identify neighbourhoods with road safety issues within their ward,’’ Myers, municipal representative for Scarborough North, said in an email invitation to Tuesday’s meeting.

“Based on the feedback and concerns shared by many of our residents, I proposed the Malvern West neighbourhood for consideration. I am happy to share that Malvern West is one of the six neighbourhoods selected’’ by Toronto for attention to enhance road safety.

City of Toronto, as part of what’s referred to as its Neighbourhood Streets Plan (NSP), says “the participation of local residents and community interest groups is essential in identifying appropriate actions and effective changes for the neighbourhood’’.

A review of collisions in the past 10 years in Malvern West – a community that includes nine schools, three childcare centres and a senior housing unit – shows that most accidents resulting in death or serious injury occurred on main roads in the area.

The review also reports that 158 collisions involved “vulnerable road users’’; and “41 collisions resulted in death or serious injury’’.

Apart from using information from residents to implement changes, Myers and his colleagues at city council said the development plan for Malvern will be supported by “collision data collected by Toronto Police Service’’; as well as “traffic data such as vehicle volumes, speeds, pedestrian volume counts, and turning movement counts at intersections’’.

When implemented, the MWSP will address not just safety for “vulnerable road users’’, but also both “excessive speeding’’ and “excessive motor vehicle traffic on local streets’’.

Feedback on MWSP can be provided by phone or email until Tuesday, April 30. The telephone number is 416-338-1837; email MalvernWestStreets@toronto.ca

Councillor Myers, who also is chairman of the Toronto Transit Commission, is encouraging Malvern residents to share their ideas on the MWSP, “while learning more about the project’’.