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Wednesday, March 6, 2019

TTC streetcar goes backwards after parked car blocks path

There's a special place in H-E-double-hockey-sticks for people who leave their vehicles on streetcar tracks.

Unlike buses, streetcars can't manoeuvre around illegally-, illogically-, inconsiderately-parked cars. They're stuck on a fixed path with only two ways to go: forward and back.

Thus, when someone parks a 3,000-pound hunk of metal atop any single part of any single TTC streetcar route, hundreds (if not thousands) of people will be experience delays. It's not the kind of thing customers should have to "leave extra time" for, like a snowstorm.

Nobody can predict when a car will block a streetcar track because no car should ever be blocking a streetcar track—and yet, it happens.

Just yesterday, Toronto Police Service Parking Enforcement Bicycle Patrol Officer Erin Urquhart shared video footage of a TTC streetcar being forced backwards off McCaul due to a poorly-parked SUV.

"We have a TTC streetcar that now needs to reverse," explained Urquhart on Twitter as the streetcar backed up onto busy Queen Street West, while its driver honked frantically.

"This vehicle here has parked so close to the tracks and now the streetcar can't make its turn," she continued as she panned back to the grey Hyuandai Santa Fe. "Now it's getting towed away."

The driver not only got towed, but ticketed as well, though the fine for blocking a streetcar is only $60.

Yesterday's track-blocking is only the latest in a rash of similar incidents prompted by mounds of accumulated snow on Toronto's already too-narrow roadways.

The city is currently in the midst of a snow removal blitz to prepare for a whole bunch of melted snow come spring, and has warned motorists not to get in the way of crews at the risk of getting "friendly towed."

What happened on McCaul Street Tuesday was worse, in that the car not only blocked snow plows from clearing the streets but an entire streetcar filled with passengers from accessing the McCaul Loop. And this happens a lot, spring, summer, fall and winter (but mostly winter.)

Some blame the City of Toronto for failing to remove snow in a reasonable amount of time. Most, however, simply hate the drivers. For obvious reasons.


by Lauren O'Neil via blogTO

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