Harry Shannon
Premier Doug Ford today announced what he called ‘a new world-leading safety measure.’ In a first, Ontario will in future not allow the number ‘13’ on traffic signals. Currently, when traffic lights show pedestrians how long they have before the lights will change, ‘13’ appears if the countdown is longer than 13 seconds.
Mr Ford said that he believes this is the most effective measure to cut the number of deaths on the roads. While many experts say that reducing speed limits will do more to improve safety, Ford angrily rejected that. ‘That’s part of the War on the Car,’ he said.
Caroline Mulroney, the Minister of Transportation, said the province has not yet decided how to replace the 13. The province will conduct extensive consultations with the public to help with the decision.
When questioned, she said the province does not have any evidence that including ‘13’ is dangerous.
But Mr Ford said: ‘Everyone knows that the number 13 is unlucky. We promised to make life better for the people, so this move is Promise Made, Promise Kept.’