EDITORIAL: Pedestrians and motorists must be mindful of one another
A rash of pedestrian deaths in January has Torontonians perplexed. Is there fault to be laid? Only if blame is laid out in very loose terms because, whether pedestrian or motorist, no specific party is solely to blame. In these tragic incidents, the traumatic event is shared between all involved. The TTC streetcar driver who struck a 35-year-old man - who later died - on Queen Street Jan. 24, will relive the incident over and over again in his mind. The 14th pedestrian killed this month, a 38-year-old woman struck by an SUV on Davenport Road and Symington Ave. on Monday, will be missed by her family, who will live with the tragedy of her death for a very long time.But what, if anything, is to be done about this spate of pedestrian deaths? Unfortunately, very little except to say both pedestrians and drivers must pay closer attention to their surroundings and be extra vigilant when venturing on to our shared city streets.Parkdale-High Park Councillor Bill Saundercook's push to lower speed limits in the city is not the answer. Toronto is one of the safest cities for traffic, with 48 traffic deaths last year - very low in comparison to other municipalities. Despite Saundercook's good intentions, lowering speed limits will solve very little.Police have noted these incidents are a spike. But if the trend continues unabated throughout 2010, the City of Toronto has a real problem. That said, Toronto police launched a month-long pedestrian safety blitz across the city Wednesday, handing out more than 50 tickets for various pedestrian infractions.Police Supt. Earl Witty said "enforcement and education" are effective tools, but later noted that "human error is the real cause of the collisions we've had."Every citizen should be more aware of their surroundings. Torontonians should be vigilant when crossing or driving city streets. Drivers should be aware pedestrians have the right of way, while pedestrians need to understand the rules of the road - for instance, a flashing crosswalk signal or the numbered countdown does not mean it's time to race into the intersection, but rather it means to stop and not enter the intersection.Becoming aware of the road, the rules, as well as everyone and everything around you will keep our city streets, and more importantly every Torontonian safe. Hopefully our mutual vigilance will help save lives and avoid more pedestrian deaths on our streets.