O O Ø O O O O
Wrong Way
Why do the people we look to protect us seem so focused on taking our money?
Clive Doucet
Ottawa City Hall
110 Laurier Avenue West
Ottawa, ON
K1P 1J1
Dear Mr. Doucet,
I was wondering if you could help me understand what the underlying responsibility of our city's Police Services group. I look at their web site, and right up front it says “Working together for a safer community”. Call me skeptical, but I think the group that enforces traffic rules missed the memo that explained that “safer community” is not the same as “revenue generation”. Allow me to explain.
I used to live on Sunnyside, and you may remember me complaining about last year's construction-related traffic nonsense on that street. When I lived there I walked to work using Bank Street, and was always stunned at the velocity drivers attained while driving North over the Bank Street bridge. I imagine they do it to relieve the pent-up stress from having to wait three minutes to get from Billings Bridge to Sunnyside, because hitting 90 in a high-traffic residential area does feel wonderful. Sit at the bottom of the Bank Street bridge on the North Side (right by the little memorial, for dramatic effect) during rush hour in the morning, or any other time of day for that matter, and you'll see what I mean.
Where's the cops, and why aren't they making the neighbourhoods safe
I now live on Main near Bower which, as you well know, is a little bit of a problem area when it comes to traffic. While I do enjoy playing the part of “Frog” in the morning as I make the journey from my house to my bus stop across the street, I do think the skill level is turned up a little high. Cars and trucks barrel down this stretch of road at up to 80km/h during rush hour, and accelerate on the outside lanes to beat traffic on the inside lane before they do an accordion impression with the car parked a block in front of them (this happened again last week to a wannabe Andretti).
It's a residential neighbourhood. There are schools in both areas. There's no signage reminding people to slow the heck down, and worse, no one enforces jack anymore. Why is this? Where's the reminders? Where's the cops, and why aren't they making the neighbourhoods safe like they're supposed to?
I apologise, those last two questions were rhetorical. I know exactly where the cops are, and I'm pretty cheesed at them. Are they at Tim Horton's living a stereotype? No, they're not there, and I confess to have never once seen them stuffing their faces with pastry or coffee during rush hour. Are they out making our streets safe? No, I haven't seen them doing that, because they're busy doing other things. What other things? Why, fleecing motorists, of course.
The folks enforcing traffic regulations have become a regular attraction in front of my building during the morning and afternoon rush hours. It seems that every morning I see anywhere from one to four (no foolin' - two cars and two motorcycles) officers sitting in front of 110 O'Connor enforcing the always-dangerous “No Right Turn During Rush Hour” from Slater onto O'Connor. They pull over an amazing number of folks at $110.00 a pop every morning, and they've been at it since last year sometime. I exaggerate, because they're not their every morning unless it's the end of the month, but they're in front an awful lot, and they're pulling in a pile.
They pull over an amazing number of folks at $110.00 a pop every morning, and they've been at it since last year
Are they doing this to make the streets safe and ease congestion downtown? Hardly. The buses seem to run on time despite the cars turning right, and I've never once seen traffic impeded for more than a couple seconds (maybe that turning lane has something to do with it). People paying more attention to their coffees, papers, and PDA's are also safe, as the people turning right are paying attention. Are they easing congestion? Well, since they're parked in a “No Stopping” zone, breaking a different set of regulations they're enforcing while cutting off an entire lane of traffic on the major route out of the downtown core, I don't think they're helping matters. So what are they doing that's beneficial?
Hrmm... $110.00 a ticket, pulling over a car every 5-10 minutes or so for two hours... why... they're generating revenue for the city! I admit it's a great racket. The fact that they can continually rack up the numbers on that corner as easily as they do makes it hard to do something rash like fix the problem with something silly like better signage. It's a great source of revenue, and it helps alleviate some of the pressures the city and the police services face when it comes to cash generation. And all the while, idiots throughout the city are driving like Paul Tracy wannabe's, and some day, someone is going to get killed because there's zero deterrence.
I'm sorry the city is nowhere near as efficient as they should be, and need to raise funds in spite of record tax revenues. I'm sick of dodging traffic in the morning, and of almost getting run over in the crosswalks by the Pretoria Bridge. I'm constantly annoyed by motorists and motorcyclists whizzing by my house and through my communities at insane speeds during the busiest times of the day, and I'm incensed when I see a large proportion of downtown Ottawa's traffic enforcement contingent outside my building every day generating revenue instead of making the streets safer.
I don't want someone to get killed...but I'm beginning to suspect that's what it will take.
I haven't seen a speed trap on Main in ages, and I've never seen one on Bank. Where are they, and why aren't they nailing speeders and aggressive drivers to the wall? When the traps were set up every so often on Main, people slowed down because they knew the traps might be there (I know I did!). I suspect the reason that they're no longer employed is because the rate of return/return on investment for these types of infractions isn't nearly as lucrative as what's pulled in by my work, but that's the cynic in me.
Put up some new signs that people can actually see before they get to the light on Slater and O'Connor - you wouldn't believe how many folks claim they didn't see the sign, and I believe 'em. It's small and hard to read, and all those buses block the view. Try to fix the problem once and for all, instead of milking the cash cow. By all means enforce the regulations once in a while to keep drivers on their toes, but it shouldn't be a feeding trough. I address these requests directly to you, because I figure being the vice-chair of the transportation might put them squarely within your bailiwick.
As a taxpayer, I expect enforcement of traffic regulations to be applied where necessary, not where it's easy. I also expect considerably more effort to be made in policing our ward, and enforcing the regulations that we see broken. It's not being done, and it needs to change. I don't want someone to get killed before anyone starts targeting the type of drivers we're seeing more and more, but I'm beginning to suspect that's what it will take.
Please ask our police services to quit picking the low-hanging fruit, and to get out there and take on some of the real problems that actually endanger people. Remind them that their primary responsibility is to make Ottawa a safer place on all fronts, and don't forget to remind the folks who may be asking them to place revenue over safety to do the same.
Thanks much in advance,
Tuesday, July 7, 2004
PD DCLIX