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Police launch campaign in Chinatown to tame the traffic-clogged streets
Bustling marketplace running out of room for vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians
RACHEL DE LAZZER
Chinatown was bustling yesterday with swarms of shoppers digging through piles of wares, and Brittany Laroche of London, Ont., was finding herself easily distracted.
"It's very colourful," said Ms. Laroche, in town for a synchronized- swimming competition and thrilled with the area's bargains.
Police, who say tourists distracted by the vibrant nature of Chinatown are often among those involved in accidents, are trying to crack down on the aggressive behaviour of motorists, cyclists and pedestrians. Together with Chinatown community leaders, police launched a two-week project dubbed Blue Dragon that aims to make the area safer.
Winnie Wong, chair of the Chinatown Community Police Liaison Committee, says the committee has fielded many complaints. "The pedestrians complain about drivers and the drivers complain about pedestrians," she said.
For example, she said, cars are turning in front of streetcars and making forbidden right turns on red lights at intersections where it is not allowed.
Police could not immediately say how many accidents occur in the area, but Superintendent Hue Ferguson said there are many minor ones and near-misses.
"They . . . felt there's some concern with elderly citizens over there," said Sergeant John Ferris, who heads the traffic office for Division 52. "A lot of cyclists blowing through and past them, riding on the sidewalk."
Supt. Ferguson said officers will focus on enforcement and education during the campaign from April 2-13, as well as creating awareness of safety through their programs in schools and senior centres.
"It's not strictly enforcement," Supt. Ferguson said. "We're going to be stopping people and talking to them."
But many who know Chinatown say it's just a congested neighbourhood that can't easily be changed.
Councillor Adam Vaughan, whose ward includes Chinatown, doesn't think ticketing people will necessarily work.
"It's a crowded street market that has very little capacity for vehicles and pedestrians," Mr. Vaughan said. "This is a very complex and complicated area. . . . It's not like the rest of the city where you may be able to curb some of the behaviour, which has been better with the redesign of the [streetcar] platform."
"That's city life, that's the urban atmosphere," agreed Sean Pinnock, 18, a college student shopping in the area, when asked about the sometimes irresponsible behaviour.
"I don't know if there's anything they can do," said cyclist Terry Wong, 42, who's never had any run-ins. "So many people go shopping in Chinatown."
The campaign is not tied to one incident or new trend, Supt. Ferguson said. Police see accidents related to irresponsible driving rise in the tourist season, and the community and police have been trying to launch the program for more than a year.
Reasons for accidents are varied. Many of the people involved are visitors, and often they succumb to the usual distractions -- from MP3 players to cellphones. "We've actually seen people typing on BlackBerrys and driving," Supt. Ferguson said.
"People are shopping, they have heavy bags and they don't want to walk to the signals," said John O'Grady, chief safety officer for TTC, offering one reason people cross streetcar tracks and not at traffic signals. He also said people stepping off a streetcar often forget to check for streetcars coming the other way.
Link to article
Police launch campaign in Chinatown to tame the traffic-clogged streets
Bustling marketplace running out of room for vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians
RACHEL DE LAZZER
Chinatown was bustling yesterday with swarms of shoppers digging through piles of wares, and Brittany Laroche of London, Ont., was finding herself easily distracted.
"It's very colourful," said Ms. Laroche, in town for a synchronized- swimming competition and thrilled with the area's bargains.
Police, who say tourists distracted by the vibrant nature of Chinatown are often among those involved in accidents, are trying to crack down on the aggressive behaviour of motorists, cyclists and pedestrians. Together with Chinatown community leaders, police launched a two-week project dubbed Blue Dragon that aims to make the area safer.
Winnie Wong, chair of the Chinatown Community Police Liaison Committee, says the committee has fielded many complaints. "The pedestrians complain about drivers and the drivers complain about pedestrians," she said.
For example, she said, cars are turning in front of streetcars and making forbidden right turns on red lights at intersections where it is not allowed.
Police could not immediately say how many accidents occur in the area, but Superintendent Hue Ferguson said there are many minor ones and near-misses.
"They . . . felt there's some concern with elderly citizens over there," said Sergeant John Ferris, who heads the traffic office for Division 52. "A lot of cyclists blowing through and past them, riding on the sidewalk."
Supt. Ferguson said officers will focus on enforcement and education during the campaign from April 2-13, as well as creating awareness of safety through their programs in schools and senior centres.
"It's not strictly enforcement," Supt. Ferguson said. "We're going to be stopping people and talking to them."
But many who know Chinatown say it's just a congested neighbourhood that can't easily be changed.
Councillor Adam Vaughan, whose ward includes Chinatown, doesn't think ticketing people will necessarily work.
"It's a crowded street market that has very little capacity for vehicles and pedestrians," Mr. Vaughan said. "This is a very complex and complicated area. . . . It's not like the rest of the city where you may be able to curb some of the behaviour, which has been better with the redesign of the [streetcar] platform."
"That's city life, that's the urban atmosphere," agreed Sean Pinnock, 18, a college student shopping in the area, when asked about the sometimes irresponsible behaviour.
"I don't know if there's anything they can do," said cyclist Terry Wong, 42, who's never had any run-ins. "So many people go shopping in Chinatown."
The campaign is not tied to one incident or new trend, Supt. Ferguson said. Police see accidents related to irresponsible driving rise in the tourist season, and the community and police have been trying to launch the program for more than a year.
Reasons for accidents are varied. Many of the people involved are visitors, and often they succumb to the usual distractions -- from MP3 players to cellphones. "We've actually seen people typing on BlackBerrys and driving," Supt. Ferguson said.
"People are shopping, they have heavy bags and they don't want to walk to the signals," said John O'Grady, chief safety officer for TTC, offering one reason people cross streetcar tracks and not at traffic signals. He also said people stepping off a streetcar often forget to check for streetcars coming the other way.