TTC Drivers Reckless?

You know, for Drivers who drive every day for a living professionally, does it not seem a bit odd the number of accidents that TTC and other transit drivers have been getting into lately??

Many of them with pedestrians..

Now, sure, many of them may not have been the fault of the TTC driver, but still, I would think that drivers should be able to anticipate some things coming based on their experience.

I know when I'm driving that I'm always watching ahead for Pedestrians, because these days the laws of the road are irrelevant to them. I also watch other cars, watch cyclists, I even watch pets to be prepared in case of a sudden movement.

As a driver in our city, you have to be ready for anything.

By the time my father and grandfather had finished teaching me how to drive, and reinforcing over and over that anticipation is a critical part of safe and defensive driving, I was like a psychic out there, anticipating all kinds of potential dangers on the road.

Anyway, I have an entire treasure chest of driving related things to blog about in the future, so I'll get back to the purpose for this entry.

Over the past few weeks, the city of Toronto has been going through a horror movie of Pedestrians getting killed on the roads. Many of these fatalities have been caused by TTC Drivers (and some by other Transit Operators), and it's got me wondering who's responsible.. Is it reckless TTC Drivers? Is it idiot holier-than-thou Pedestrians who truly don't care about the rules of the road anymore?

At this point, they're both to blame if you ask me.

The latest news story came today, where there were two separate accidents involving TTC vehicles on Toronto roads that have resulted in the deaths of two more people. One was a Pedestrian, and the other was a driver who's vehicle was hit by a streetcar.


(http://www.torontosun.com/news/torontoandgta/2010/01/24/12597251.html)

The Pedestrian supposedly was on his cell phone jaywalking across the street when a Streetcar somehow didn't see him and hit him.

--You see, this is when anticipation comes in...

When I'm driving, if I see people walking towards the road, I slow down, even if I'm a tiny bit worried that they're not stopping.

Who knows if this street car driver was alert and watching, and not just rushing to make his schedule. I know there comes a point where both the driver and the pedestrian both assume that the other will stop, and then principles come in to play (not to mention the fundamentals for the infamous car game “Chicken”).. Hopefully this was not one of those instances.

The second incident was when a car supposedly tried to make a U-turn directly in front of a streetcar, which then ended up T-Boning the vehicle.

Granted both of these incidents may not have been the fault of the TTC Driver, but I have to say that I still feel that this is happening a lot.. Far too much and too often than is expected..

The TTC responded by saying, “Streetcars are on rails, so it’s impossible to swerve and avoid a pedestrian,” and “They are also quite heavy, so it’s difficult for them to stop quickly”.

Ok, I can accept that.

They also said, “Our operators are well trained to look for pedestrians and automobiles that may come into their path, and to do their best to avoid collision, but from time to time this does happen”.

Well, this seems to be happening far more and more, so I don't know if this can be categorized as random occurrences any longer..

I'm just saying...

With TTC operators sleeping on the job and TTC management defending them, TTC projects blowing up in budgets because of incompetence, Adam Giambrone more focused on running for Mayor than controlling the TTC, I don't feel it's so crazy to be concerned.

Just some food for thought, like usual.

--jackandcokewithalime


(Image taken from:http://images.ctv.ca/archives/CTVNews/img2/20100124/600_streetcar_pedestrian_100124.jpg)