December 7, 2016

In Toronto-22 pedestrians hit by vehicles yesterday

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With the Toronto Police spokesperson saying they have no idea why it is happening,  at least  22 pedestrians were struck in Toronto on Tuesday, including a “collision in North York that left one woman dead.
In addressing yesterday’s road carnage, the police spokesman stated “This is the biggest round of pedestrians being struck that I’ve come across. I have no idea why it’s happening. It could be the weather, the darkness … anything.”
As reported in the Toronto Star 16 of the accidents were between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. The weather was reported as a “crappy and wet night”. And that number of 22 pedestrians is thought to be a low estimate for the number of people struck.  Thirty-five  pedestrians and one cyclist has been killed by vehicles on Toronto streets by October 30th. Several fatalities happened when vehicles went up on the sidewalk. In response to the carnage, families that have lost loved ones have formed Friends and Families  for Safe Streets to address the road violence that has become part of the driving culture in Toronto. That group has had enough, and they are speaking up about the atrocious inequality-the car driver that hits a pedestrian or cyclist is not penalized by stigma, death or injury. The families demonstrate holding photos of their loved ones. They want to change the paradigm that accepts that vehicles will kill and maim.

It is clear that road violence against pedestrians and cyclists comes from four main factors: visibility, driver behaviour, speed, and road design. Those are the indicators. Toronto has a “Vision Zero” Traffic Safety plan to reduce this awful waste of human lives, but they are looking at a Mr. Milk Toast  target of a 20 per cent reduction of fatalities and serious injury by 2026. Toronto City Hall needs to talk about the other 400 people who will be killed and the thousands injured  by cars on Toronto streets in that time.

They also need to understand that Vision Zero as developed in Sweden since 1997 means Zero deaths, not a percentage. The crux of Vision Zero is that health and a life cannot be exchanged for any other benefit in society, and should not be a comparison of costs and benefits for road network insurance purposes. A life is a life, and should be protected.

Twenty-two  vulnerable pedestrians crashed by cars in one day?  Not acceptable.

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  1. “In addressing yesterday’s road carnage, the police spokesman stated “This is the biggest round of pedestrians being struck that I’ve come across. I have no idea why it’s happening. It could be the weather, the darkness … anything.””
    Yeah, jeez….the weather, the darkness, the alignment of the stars, the moon’s rotation around the planet, the emotional state of pelicans in Mexico, really could be anything.
    Bad drivers not paying attention though, definitely not that.

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  3. I walk and drive in roughly equal measure, so I feel like I can see both sides of the issue. And I gotta say that all too often on wet, rainy nights it is almost impossible to see pedestrians until you’re way too close to stop. It doesn’t feel that way when you’re a pedestrian because you can see the cars quite clearly, but between the darkness, the glare of oncoming headlights, reflections on the road, and windshield wipers trying vainly to give you a clear view in the whole mess it can very, very challenging for drivers to see everything. The normal cues of colour, contrast and movement are almost nonexistent and you have to drive with extreme concentration in order to mentally analyze what you’re seeing for signs of danger.
    I try to drive slower under those kinds of conditions, but it’s difficult when you have a line of vehicles behind you tailgating and flashing their lights. When they’re following another car they don’t have to worry because no sane pedestrian would step onto the road into the middle of a line of vehicles. It’s the poor sap at the head of the line of traffic who’s got to ensure the safety of everyone, and who gets blamed for impeding traffic.
    I know the politically correct thing is to not blame the pedestrian. But boy, as both a pedestrian and a driver I’m going to tell you that I don’t trust drivers to see me even in good conditions. In bad conditions pedestrians need to take extra care because they’re the ones who stand to loose the most. With very few exceptions pedestrian accidents, even those where the driver is wholly at fault, could have been prevented if the pedestrian had been more vigilant and had taken action to save him or herself.
    It may not be fair, but when I’m out there walking around I’m sure not going to gamble that every last driver is a competent one.

    1. The peer pressure of cars tailgating you does not trump the safety of vulnerable road users. If you can’t drive at a speed with which pedestrians are clearly visible, then you are part of the problem. That you sometimes walk places as well does not make this okay.

    2. I agree with both these comments and thankfully for many decades now I’ve managed to avoid hitting any pedestrians (or anything else for that matter). But I’ve seen some pretty stupid things from drivers and pedestrians alike even in good conditions. In bad conditions the odds are stacked against pedestrians, and they really, really need to be aware of that.
      “The driver should have seen me” is little solace from a hospital bed, or worse.

  4. No doubt that the price of walking is eternal vigilance. How do we fix that? There’s nothing ‘politically correct’ about working harder to make streetscapes safer for all the non-drivers out there, many of whom are children, seniors, and/or mobility impaired. It’s just good economics not to kill people by my reckoning, given the costs associated with traffic fatalities.

    1. The top mitigation strategies in my mind would be:
      a) better lighting that shines DOWN to illuminate pedestrians without getting into drivers’ eyes. And it has to spotlight pedestrians standing at the curb as well as crossing the street.
      b) More pedestrian-activated signals. Those new strobe lights that Vancouver’s been installing at crosswalks are spectacularly good at alerting drivers – far better than the pathetic amber lights that pretty much get ignored since our roads are littered with so many other amber lights flashing 24×7. Even better (and, of course more expensive) are flashing LED lights embedded in the pavement that delineate where the crosswalk is.
      c) curb bulges that keep parked cars away from the lines of sight between drivers and pedestrians.

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