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Regarding a mailout from Ward 31 (Beaches-East York) Councillor Janet Davis about changes to the area around Toronto East General Hospital to improve the safety of children walking to school and the traffic flow in the area.

I'm a resident on Sammon Avenue, which is across the street from Toronto East General Hospital.

There has been issue with the traffic, parking and speeding on this street for quite some time. Parking changes have been approved by the city (yet to take effect) for this area to improve safety, which is wonderful, but my growing concern is the apparent "above-the-law" mandate by our transportation staff regarding taxi drivers.

Every day, taxi drivers are either double-parked or parked in no-parking zones in this area.

One of the changes to take place since the Toronto transportation staff assessed the area is to extend the taxi stand on Coxwell Avenue to accommodate six cars instead of four. This is a joke. There are never less than six cabs at the stand as it is. Most days the line of cabs wrap around on Sammon.

I've asked several officers why they walk past the cab drivers when issuing tickets to other offenders and their reply is usually along the lines of the drivers will move if the officers ask them to.

I think most people would just move if they were given the option between that and a $30 plus fine. As I see it, this is an untapped resource for desperately needed funds for the city. I would like to know how these proposed changes are going to help improve the safety around this area if the main perpetrators are ignored?

Kerri Locke