TTC urged to use cameras to catch drivers who pass streetcars taking on riders

Transit agency says it’s looking into the idea, but it would likely require changes to provincial regulations.

Thestar.com
Jan. 3, 2017
By Ben Spurr

A city councillor is urging the TTC to use cameras to nab drivers who blow past open streetcar doors.

Councillor Mike Layton, who represents Ward 19 (Trinity-Spadina), took to Twitter on Tuesday to call on the TTC to look into the idea, which he said would work similar to red light cameras.

In an interview, Layton said that he became frustrated on his walk to work Tuesday morning when he saw a driver speed past a stopped streetcar.

“I think it’s a serious problem,” he said.

“Ask anyone getting off a streetcar whether or not they think that enough’s being done to protect them from cars going by and I think it will be quite clear that most people agree that there’s not.”

Under the provincial Highway Traffic Act, it’s illegal for cyclists or drivers to come within two metres of streetcar doors while the transit vehicle is loading or unloading passengers. The penalty is a $110 fine and three demerit points, according to the Toronto Police.

Layton said drivers often violate the law and police can’t be expected to be on the scene to catch every offender.

A spokesperson for the Toronto Police couldn’t immediately provide statistics on how often drivers illegally pass streetcars.

But Sgt. Brett Moore of traffic services agreed the problem is “very prevalent in the city of Toronto.”

In one high profile incident last March, a driver struck a young girl as she stepped off a streetcar at Dundas St. East and Parliament St. He was charged with careless driving.

According to information presented at the TTC board in 2015, the last time the transit agency tracked such incidents was in 1999, when it recorded that drivers failed to stop for open streetcar doors on 9,000 separate occasions over two years.

“Anyone who rides the TTC knows people slide past the doors all the time,” Moore said.

Last summer, the police launched a crack-down on drivers who illegally pass streetcars. Moore said the service plans to conduct a similar campaign this spring.

According to TTC spokesperson Brad Ross, transit agency staff are already studying streetcar enforcement cameras thanks to a motion put forward in 2015 by TTC board member Councillor Glenn De Baeremaeker. Ross said there is no timeline for when staff will report back.

While streetcars are already equipped with surveillance cameras, the transit agency doesn’t have the technology to capture an offending driver’s licence plate, as red light cameras do, Ross said.

And the proposal would likely require changes to provincial legislation, he added.

Ross said that measures the TTC already uses to deter drivers from passing open streetcar doors include flashing red lights, signage and announcements on the agency’s new streetcars. The older vehicles have signage, but no flashing lights.

“Operators also keep an eye and warn passengers, but ultimately stopping is the responsibility of the car driver or cyclist. It’s the law,” Ross said.

De Baeremaeker said although he’s still waiting for the TTC staff report, he believes cameras on streetcars would be as effective as red light cameras in deterring dangerous driving.

According to the city’s website, as of this month, there are cameras at 79 intersections to identify and ticket drivers who run red lights. The city says statistics collected from across Ontario suggest the cameras reduce serious collisions by 25 per cent.

“I certainly think the time has come for us to use the technology we have available to help protect people’s lives,” De Baeremaeker said.

“There are some people, (who), for very selfish and stupid reasons, speed past the streetcars when the doors are open. They could kill somebody. Why? Because you want to get to the next stoplight 30 seconds faster.”