TORONTO, Ont. – Toronto police are running a pedestrian safety campaign this week since children are out of school for March Break and the number of pedestrians on roadways increases.
According to police, 86 per cent of traffic fatalities reported this year have involved pedestrians. Six pedestrians have been killed so far in Toronto.
“I’ve seen in a second, people have lost their lives due to just one poor decision,” said Const. Hugh Smith.
“They’re making cars and everything safer but human beings, we’ve stayed fragile, we’ve stayed the same for all these years.”
“We do have to have that language change and that behaviour change,” he said.
Smith is also reminding drivers they have a heightened responsibility for other road users and pedestrians.
“We have to take that time to really think what’s important and when you step on that road as a pedestrian, you are taking your life in your hands.”
“When you’re driving, your responsibility for other road users, pedestrians is heightened.”
“It’s really about slowing things down. Slowing your pace down. Looking up and looking around and this again, goes right across the board.”
Police are focusing on intersection-related offences, pedestrian crosswalks and mid-block walkers.
Smith said transit users who step on the street before a streetcar comes to a stop risk a $110 fine. He said it is also against the law to start crossing a street during the countdown.
Jaywalking is legal, he said, as long as the pedestrian yields to traffic.
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I would like to say that I enjoyed reading your article on “pedestrian safety”. I would just like to know how the Cops plan on implementing this. I mean, unless they want to station a cruiser at every known hot spot in the city to keep an eye on the badboys. You know the old saying, “when the cats away, the mice will play, these cats are playing with the lives of pedestrians.
I noticed that police are focusing on “intersection related offences, and the only offenders being mentioned are pedestrians, why is that?, I could write a book abput the various traffic boners being pulled on a daily basis.I’m not saying that they don’t commit them, but lets be fair, they are not surround by a ton of metal blasting along the road and will not damage a car. How about whe516 n a pedestrian is crossing legally, and the driver tries to beat you across the intersection rather than yield, as is the law, how much should that infraction cost?, how about casually driving through stop signs, how much should that cost them, or lastly, how about when approaching a red light, while intending to make a right turn, almost ALL drivers never stop anymore, they just drive right on through, and God help you if you are crossing on foot, how much should that infraction cost the would be weekend “Indy Driver?
Of course there are bad drivers and there are bad cyclist and bad pedestrians. There are blitzes on drivers all the time as this is the best revenue stream. It’s about time the cops actually did some enforcement with pedestrians.