At least in Toronto they still have *any* enforcement. When I say Hamilton has none, I mean literally almost none.
I'm gonna bring this up, though it's not a competition; it's an indication of overall systemic failure within policing.
You say there's enforcement here, but when I first started walking my daughter to school, I pointed out a corner (Church & Bloor St. E.) we pass and how dangerous the drivers at it are. I told her to watch this corner, and every single time there'll be someone doing something wrong.
To this date (she'll be 14 in the fall), I've seen a violation at that corner
every single time since when there are cars. Whether it's using the bike lane as a turning lane, rushing the advance green after it's stopped, encroaching into the crosswalk while people are there or blatantly running reds, there's always something. There's no meaningful enforcement here.
There used to be patrol vehicles regularly stationed on nearby St. Paul's Square waiting to catch violators. They were there so often, I literally wondered if there weren't a small police outpost inside 160 Bloor St. E. That enforcement however stopped a long, long time ago.
Church & Bloor St. E. certainly isn't the busiest intersection in the city; but it's one with a lot of pedestrians and cyclists and a lot of potential for injury. It's such an easy target for enforcement, and the police
used to know that. Now, it's a free for all.
Enforcement only seems to happen when the police run an "educational blitz", or are forced by city hall.
Anyway, back to the point being made in the video. I feel that they make a really good point about the "randomness" of fare checks rather than watching people at the fare gates. It's simple psychology. People will pay while being watched, but skip payment if they know nobody is there and once in they won't be checked, whereas random checks mean not paying at the fare gate could be checked at any time, and by the time you see the inspector it's too late.
If we're not going to make the entire system free (honestly, all public services should be free to use), then by all means increase the number of inspectors. And there have been improvements in that department here. I've seen more fare inspectors in the last year than I have in the previous 5 years combined. But as with everything to do with the TTC and decades of a lack of meaningful operating subsidies, it ultimately comes down to budget. Can they afford to put as many fare inspectors out as they probably want to? I dunno about that. And then there's just finding the people willing to deal with the growing level of harassment towards TTC employees in general.
Like I said, I think this should be balances with fine price and code of conduct enforcement too. Like the fine in LA is $75, vs on the TTC I'm pretty sure last I read it's like $200. They should lower the fine (or just not raise it) and check more often. The city should look to LA and instead of not enforcing the fine on people who look like they can't pay, they should be given community service. I actually think that "penalty" might improve homelessness and drug addiction issues? I might be wrong, but in my mind it's a good way to provide some sense of responsibility into someone who might be struggling to build that skill without resorting to prison and essentially slave labour. Community service is far more appropriate.
In reality, we should enforce progressive fines, rather than just lower them overall; though I agree with community service as an alternative to paying.
If we use parking violations as an example, there will be people who can afford the fines, but choose just to not go to the trouble of following the law. If it's an inconvenience in any way, someone will create justifications as to why they shouldn't have to do it, regardless of their income level. That and some people are just plain cheap a-holes (see; just about every person I've known with an MBA).
www.toronto.ca
www.ttc.ca
