City
Morning Brew: Darcy Allan Sheppard Funeral, Toronto's Stimulus Funding, Speed Limit Decrease Proposal, Hazing Ritual Charges
Photo: "Crema" by bomb_tea, member of the blogTO Flickr pool.
What's happening in the GTA (and sometimes beyond):
In financial news, the feds are now saying that the country will continue to be run at a deficit into 2015, two years longer than their earlier prediction and a far cry from their initial vow to not run a deficit at all (made in late 2008). But with the bad news comes some timely good news, as election fever heats up. Toronto is finally going to get some stimulus funding to invest in infrastructure (in the order of $200-million to $300-million). I'm not sure, however, that re-paving the DVP will do much for the poor saps that are having less sex in poor economic times. Update: 10:28am: Toronto will be getting close to $600-million in stimulus funding.
Would lowering the speed limit on every street in Toronto make the streets safer for drivers, pedestrians and cyclists? What would the effects be on traffic in an already congested city? Councillor Bill Saundercook thinks that since everyone assumes that going 10 over the posted limit is OK, we may as well drop speed limits everywhere by that much. Ummm... no.
Back to school means that hazing rituals are once again under the microscope. Drawing the number "9" on foreheads and bruising newcomers to the school with hockey sticks is fun for the high school seniors, but unacceptable to school staff and to police, who have laid charges in Burlington.
Keep the car at home this weekend. TIFF events on the streets of Yorkville, the Weekend to End Breast Cancer run, Taste of the Kingsway, and the Taoist Tai Chi Society parade are all scheduled - so you're probably better off on the subway or on your bike.
Funeral services for Darcy Allan Sheppard, the cyclist killed in the high-profile case that still has Toronto engaged in heated debate, will be held today in Edmonton. While it may bring closure to some of his friends and family, not all will be satisfied until the pending charges and court case of his alleged killer are resolved.
And yesterday the TTC announced that they've stepped it up large for this year's Nuit Blanche. They'll be running much of the subway all night, and offering a single, special Day Pass for $9 to get you there and back.
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I think it's safe to assume that people will continue to drive 10 over the *new* limit. So, you'll have people going even faster.
They say that every year and every year they disappoint. I highly doubt this year will be any different. Subways will be spaced out too thin and will be filled beyond capacity. Streetcars and blue night buses will be worse and if you're one of the many people who have to rely on one of these, you'll probably be better off walking.
If the TTC does somehow manage to pull it off then I'll consider attending next year. Until then, the infastructure problems with Nuit Blanche have ruined it for me every year besides the first.
"For whatever reason, respect for speed limits seems to have deteriorated," Mannering said. "A 2002 survey indicated two-thirds of all drivers reported they exceeded the posted speed limit, and roughly one-third reported driving 10 mph faster than most other vehicles. These figures are even more disturbing when you consider that they're self-reported and likely to be understating the degree of speeding problems."
It's a lot worse in younger people: "A 25 year-old driver is 75 percent more likely to think it is safe to drive up to 20 mph (32 km/h) over the speed limit than a 50 year-old driver."
<i>"So the faster you think you can go before getting a ticket, the more likely you are to think safety's not compromised at higher speeds,"</i>
If there was an actual correlation here, then it means that people are driving too far over the speed limit because it's not enforced enough. If you want to make roads safer it would be logical to slowly start being stricter with the speed 'limit'. Instead of ticketing people for doing 135 km/h on the 401, bringing that number down to 125 then maybe 110 (excluding passing) then perhaps people will stop thinking that doing 140 km/h is safe.
Also th ebest solution is to teach peo[ple to drive properly, have regulated driving schools not just who ever wants to open a school,
any changes should be more proactive, like europe where they have different posted limits for each lane (highway) 130 in the left / 90 in the right.
So lowering the posted speed limit will likely only increase the dollar amount of the tickets that the police can write when they decide to enforce the speed limit.
Since money from speeding fines represents revenue for the government, maybe that's been the point all along.
Ha. Then the Darcy Shepperd article. Bet he was wishing he didnt use his bike.
Lowering speed limits will also not prevent idiots from talking, or worse - texting or reading emails, on their cell phones and not paying attention to the road while they are driving.
On the other hand, if you want to enforce a specific speed limit, then the only option you have is better enforcement. Changing signs won't do it.
In regards to people ignoring the speed limit, the study I mentioned seemed to suggest that people feel comfortable driving at a particular speed because of how the speed limit is enforced. Make the speed limit 140 km/h and they'll adjust and feel comfortable driving faster and vice versa.
(This is all theory though. There is no way people would accept a drop in the speed limit.)
but we like to please everyone, so nothing gets done here.
-knows $#!+ about physics
-less about the high chance of being in an automobile accident in N. America
-even less about the fact that automobile accidents are the leading cause of childhood deaths.
Are you happy with that?
I can name a couple of spots where (most) drivers drive below the posted speed limit. Drivers always go slower when they're in an unfamiliar part of town. Some just drive slower no matter what. And we've all seen drivers slow to below the speed limit when the weather turns bad or the roads become treacherous.
Sure, there will always be idiots. But the very fact that our streets aren't running red with blood means that most drivers are practicing greater care than you're giving them credit for.
It made the streets safer as everyone had to slow down and pay attention. Perhaps this is the route Saundercook should persue.
"Saundercook is also proposing a pilot project near Union Station that would see speed limits reduced to 30 km/h, and pedestrian traffic controls removed.
"'Make it a zone where any vehicles that are travelling in that area have to go 30 km/h or less and let the people cross the roads, making their judgement whether they can go in front or behind that vehicle,' Saundercook said, arguing it would reduce the large groups of traffic-clogging pedestrians crossing streets near Union Station."
The side benefit is that lower speed limits actually help to *reduce* congestion. It seems counter-intuitive but since every motorist requires more following space the faster they travel, going slower means that more vehicles can easily fit on the roadways.
Save lives and cut congestion!