City
Morning Brew: Manslaughter Acquittals in Jane Creba Case, Street-racing Law Deemed Unconstitutional (again!), Deer Wandering in Downtown Core, TTC Ushers Help Relieve Commuter Congestion, Funky Bikes for City Staff
Photo: untitled by sa-ra-ha, member of the blogTO Flickr pool.
What's happening in the GTA (and sometimes beyond):
Four of the remaining seven who stood accused of manslaughter in the 2005 Boxing Day shootout slaying of Jane Creba near Yonge-Dundas Square have been acquitted. The crown wouldn't likely have been able to convict them, given that these four didn't fire any weapons. Are the many years they've already spent in jail punishment enough for being associates with those that did fire guns?
Once again, an Ontario judge (this time in Newmarket) has deemed the provincial street-racing law unconstitutional. Without the ability of the accused to present a defence, the potential six-month prison sentence the law carries seems very wrong. The Attorney General believes the law is sound, but it's looking more and more like adjustments to or abolishment of the law are not far away.
If you're heading downtown today, be aware that a brave and bewildered deer somehow ended up strolling into the urban concrete-laden core. Animal control is on the case and will likely round the beast up in short order.
Why didn't the TTC hop on board (pun intended) when the PRESTO card was being offered as an option back in 2006? GO Transit, and regional systems in Oakville, Mississauga, York Region, Durham Region, Brampton, Hamilton, Burlington and Ottawa are all rolling out the smartcard as automated fare payment, but the country's largest system balked on it, citing costs. Now the TTC is showing interest, and is years behind the rest.
In an effort to curb congestion at the Yonge and Bloor subway stations during rush hour, the TTC is testing a new strategy that involves ushering the crowds and dispersing them more evenly across the platforms. It's too bad people can't figure this out themselves, but hopefully after a few weeks of coaxing the behavior becomes habit and the transit staff involved can return to more important roles. Congestion during rush hour sucks, but it could be MUCH worse.
Funky bikes for city staff, instead of motor vehicles? Seems like a great idea. Too bad a safety course is required, and that we live in a city that prevents this kind of program from being popular for more than just a few months out of the year.
And Famous BBQ on Queen West has rats lounging around within view of passersby with cameras, and the guy who runs the nearby Payless Shoes is concerned that other businesses nearby are at risk. Imagine trying on a shoe with a rodent camping in the dark toe area? Eek!
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GO Transit, Oakville, Mississauga, York Region, Durham Region Brampton, Hamilton, Burlington, Ottawa made this decision three years ago, yet the largest system in Canada is only now considering the measure, which tells you why the TTC is such a mess.
Obviously the TTC "considered" Presto before. It "considered" it, and decided it didn't have the money. It is not "only now considering" Presto -- how else could it have said no?
Disagree with their past decision, fine, but nonsense is unhelpful.
This is similar to the Scarborough RT which has the ability to operate automatically via computer control but still has a "driver" as "The transit workers' union has firmly opposed driverless trains.[5]". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scarborough_RT_%28TTC%29#Trains
As with meh's point above re: capital/operating budgets, armchair accountants and armchair labour relations advisors need not apply.
Didn't they also say a Presto card system (indeed any card system) would be too expensive and too difficult to implement?
Presto was rejected in the past based on the <em>capital</em> cost to equip thousands of payment points (ballparked in the hundreds of millions of dollars as I recall offhand). This is money that the TTC does not have. Do you doubt this? I do not. There is no secret pot of gold hidden at Davisville.
Therefore, one assumes any serious consideration of Presto now is a fishing expedition (backed up by this week's physical fare media chaos at Bloor-Yonge and elsewhere) for an investment from Queen's Park that was not forthcoming last time 'round.
Incongruity begs for explanation, not exasperation.
FIRE THEM ALL.
And no doubt, spending on the capital side <em>can</em> (but won't necessarily, the devil being in the details) bring operating savings. I wouldn't suggest otherwise -- indeed, I've responded here to others' (feigned?) surprise at the TTC's simultaneous need to a fare increase (due to no $) and off-and-on interest in Presto (which costs $).
It's a shame, it seemed like you might be a pragmatic thinker up for a reasonable discussion of the options that are actually on the table... until the "FIRE THEM ALL" drivel, that is.
Many officers also target very interesting areas, such as the exit ramp on Park Lawn Ave, where the limit suddenly drops from 100 to 50, forcing people to slam on their brakes to avoid their cars being taken away. It seems they are interested in picking off people who don't slow down just enough, even though there are stop lights at the end of the ramp.
Not long ago there was a story of a Peel Region police officer caught charging people with this law when they weren't speeding. He was being paid off by a tow truck driver for the impound fees from this law. Corruption happens, and this law is a perfect recipe for it because there is no oversight, or defense allowed.
Our legal system isn't by any means perfect but when you start handing out punishments before convictions, it's quite a slippery slope.