Spate of Pedestrian Deaths in GTA

[cowpie]

The Star has been following this story quite well:

A Toronto woman in her late 30s is the most recent pedestrian victim in a string of deadly collisions that have killed 14 people this month in the GTA.

The accident happened at the intersection of Davenport Rd. and Symington Ave. around 6:30 p.m. when a Dodge Durango hit the woman.

A police investigation concluded that the SUV was travelling north on Symington Ave. when it made a left turn onto Davenport, striking the woman.

Sgt. Tim Burrows said that victim was crossing slightly west of the crosswalk at the intersection.

Quite the grim statistic here, too:

Last year, there were 31 pedestrian fatalities in Toronto. With the two deaths on Monday, the 2010 Toronto count rises to eight, which represents 25 per cent of last year’s total.

http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/crime/article/755706--pedestrian-death-toll-rises-to-14-in-the-gta

 

[kettal]

Theory: lots of people got new cell phones for Christmas, and they don't stop using them while driving and walking?

 

[cowpie]

The other angle is that when you drive a 4,000 lbs vehicle, there has to be some measure of care and control; car manufacturers brag about all the improvements they have done to braking technology; five-star safety ratings, etc...except if you're hit by one of them!

Anyway, at least four of these people have been hit by right-turning vehicles. This lady and another person were hit by left-turning vehicles. Three by a bus, at least one by a streetcar.

I recall from the story that this man

12. Jan. 22: man, 57

Hit by dump truck at Broadview and Danforth Aves., was crossing with crutches.

was crossing on a green when a truck turning right rolled over him.

Maybe they should enact a special turning cycle at the traffic lights, like how right turns are banned on a red in Montreal. Personally, I've noticed that drivers turning right at green lights are extremely reluctant to stop and yield to pedestrians as they should be. They practically hit their bumpers on your knee before (if) they stop.

 

[Mustapha]

One of my theories is that since average actual road speeds are now about 10km over the legal limit on just about any major throughfare, drivers basically have to make 'snap' (my term) decisions and actions in order to keep smartly in the traffic flow. Pedestrians get hit because of what is essentially a low level state of frenzy in traffic; drivers have lost much of their ability to respond quickly to pedestrians as they focus mostly on other drivers and the road. 60km/hr on the Danforth gives no margin for error, especially with that group of drivers who use that fiction of a curb lane, swerving in and out.

It might also help if the standard colour of coat this season wasn't black. The ubiquitous dark pea coat/puffy long down coat for women paired with jeans is an invisible combination at night. When I learned to drive in 1972 the night was a riot of brightly coloured clothing.

As to getting hit by buses; I saw one woman trying to stop a bus by running in front of it and waving.

 

[vz64]

Considering a small number of fatalities per year (statistically), it is possible we deal with a random frequency fluctuation. For example, if 3 integers are randomly selected from 1 to 10, the odds of selecting 1-2-3 are the same as, say 2-7-10, yet we are biased to see a pattern in the former case... Let's wait a few months, then a proper analysis can be done.

 

[Torontovibe]

Another pedestrian is killed and not a single politician is stepping forward to say something. Why is that? (Nobody wants that photo op?)

There is a war on pedestrians and nobody seems to care. Now if it were cyclists who were running into pedestrians and killing them, I'm sure Mr. Rossy and Mr. Ford would be talking about closing down cycling lanes because cyclists are dangerously out of control but when it's drivers who are killing pedestrians, it seems to be quite acceptable. How long can this war on pedestrians continue in Toronto before people get really angry and demand action? (Just wondering)

STOP THE WAR ON PEDESTRIANS!!!! Could that be a new battle cry at election time?

 

[Tewder]

I wonder if our grid system is part of the problem, essentially creating open straight-aways throughout town. Perhaps more traffic calming features might help, including traffic circles rather than intersections and speed bumps leading up to four-ways and so on. All of these things force traffic to slow speeds and yield. The right planning would take advantage of these forced slow-downs by funneling pedestrians accordingly. Just a thought.

Of course we also need to improve the accessibility and convenience of public transit, getting more cars off the road.

 

[lister]

The other angle is that when you drive a 4,000 lbs vehicle, there has to be some measure of care and control; car manufacturers brag about all the improvements they have done to braking technology; five-star safety ratings, etc...except if you're hit by one of them!

Agreed but common sense says human versus vehicle, vehicle wins... all the time. So as a pedestrian most of the time (I'm also a motorist, cyclist, and rollerblader), I am going to do my best to avoid being hit. I'm going to watch the intersections carefully, be extremely careful jaywalking and try to be aware of my surroundings and not be oblivious when talking to someone in person or on the phone. If you as a pedestrian, cyclist, rollerblader, skateboader can't take that responsibility then you deserve to be the next Darwin award winner.

I'm not letting off motorists scott-free! They need to be aware and driving responsibly not gunning at yellow or red lights (!!!!) or making illegal turns, going the wrong way on a one way street, yakking on cell phones or just going too fast but pedestrians can't just pop out of nowhere and expect cars, trucks, streetcars, etc to stop on a dime to avoid them.

 

[Tewder]

Agreed. Only an idiot would abdigate responsibility for their own safety to somebody else, no matter how justified.

 

[Blovertis]

If you as a pedestrian, cyclist, rollerblader, skateboader can't take that responsibility then you deserve to be the next Darwin award winner.

Glad to hear you've been doing so well in the "survival of the fittest" stakes. You're telling us that in all these years of walking, cycling and rollerblading you've never had a close call with an errant driver? I'd say you're luckier than you are fit.

This blame-the-victim mentality is nonsense. The power differential between a pedestrian and the driver of a Durango is so immense, it's obvious the onus to be careful weighs far more heavily on drivers than walkers.

 

[Tacoma]

Considering a small number of fatalities per year (statistically), it is possible we deal with a random frequency fluctuation. For example, if 3 integers are randomly selected from 1 to 10, the odds of selecting 1-2-3 are the same as, say 2-7-10, yet we are biased to see a pattern in the former case... Let's wait a few months, then a proper analysis can be done.

Agree 100%. This is much ado about nothing at this point. OMG, I just flipped 5 heads in a row, there's something wrong with this coin!!!

One of my theories is that since average actual road speeds are now about 10km over the legal limit on just about any major throughfare, drivers basically have to make 'snap' (my term) decisions and actions in order to keep smartly in the traffic flow. Pedestrians get hit because of what is essentially a low level state of frenzy in traffic; drivers have lost much of their ability to respond quickly to pedestrians as they focus mostly on other drivers and the road. 60km/hr on the Danforth gives no margin for error, especially with that group of drivers who use that fiction of a curb lane, swerving in and out.
...

Road speeds, conditions and legal limits are no different in 2010 than it was in 2009, so your theory doesn't fly. And if you think Toronto roads such as the Danforth are frenzied, you should see other parts of the world such as Paris, NY or Hong Kong. If you reasoning holds true, then they should be mowing down pedestrains left, right and centre in those cities. But, alas, I think vz64 is correct and the sample size we're dealing with is not (yet) statistically relevant, so any attempts at explaining this is presuming something that may likely really be nothing.

 

[nfitz]

And if you think Toronto roads such as the Danforth are frenzied, you should see other parts of the world such as Paris, NY or Hong Kong.

When I've been in Paris, it's hard to imagine a car would be able to get enough velocity to kill a pedestrian, the traffic is so stuck!

And this IS a huge problem in many cities: http://mumbai.thecityfix.com/dangerous-roads-in-india-require-new-policies/ where they note that the majority of road deaths are pedstrians or cyclists, with the road-death rate being twice as high as European countries, yet car ownership rate is only 1/7!

 

[waterloowarrior]

,

 

[vic]

Regarding the pedestrian who was killed at Davenport and Symington:
Both of those streets have speed limits of 40km/h. Both streets have just one narrow lane in each direction, and in the case of Davenport, a bike lane on each side too.

How the heck did someone turning from Symington onto Davenport make the turn with so much speed and force that, "the woman was carried on the hood of the vehicle before being vaulted off and run over."

It's a small and tight intersection. I just don't see how someone could make that kind of turn without being extremely aggresive and irresponsible.

Google Street View, looking north on Symington at Davenport, much like the driver's view:
http://maps.google.ca/maps?f=q&sour...noid=EbEez8J2NvhCQy2Vka4OxA&cbp=12,349.8,,0,5

 

[Hipster Duck]

I think the recent spate of pedestrian deaths is nothing more than an unfortunate coincidence. When it's over, we might have 6 consecutive months without a fatality - that's how these things usually play out.

What is also unfortunate is how this is becoming rapidly politicized; our built environment, driver awareness and car culture are being blamed for a rate of pedestrian fatalities that is about 7 times higher than normal. While our city does change, the built environment has not become 7 times more hostile to pedestrians than what it was a year ago; there aren't suddenly 7 times as many cars driving quickly, nor are drivers 7 times more aggressive on the road nor 7 times less aware of their surroundings.