The thing is G, no one has ever been fined for the infractions!
If GO Transit decided to step it up and start fining people, then there would never be fare hikes again (or at least until people start behaving in a considerate manner).
I know, I know. I still remember that one glorious week at Oshawa station when they were actually fining smokers on the platform. You're practically wading through ankle deep butts in some places. Last week I actually saw a guy sitting on the step of the coach while smoking a cig. And every morning there's a d-bag who likes to stand right outside the door and vape away for 5 minutes before the train departs, even though there's a small smoking area not 20 feet away. GO wouldn't have to raise fares ever again if they stepped up enforcement.
Yup. Do the math. Just the train stations - 50 or so. At Oakville during rush hour, I've consistently counted 10-12 smokers in any five minute period. In the entry ways, in the bus loops, under the no smoking signs, in the stairwells on the platforms. They aren't hard to spot (or smell). They tend to surge just after (or before) trains arrive or leave. $45 bucks a pop. Spend 5 minutes per train at any station in the morning rush and you're looking at thousands of dollars of new revenue in a day - FROM ONE STATION. And that's the point. If you have ever complained to Public Affairs or enforcement I would bet all I have that you have heard "Well, our enforcement people can't be EVERYWHERE". They. Don't. Have. To. Be. One station per rush hour per day - work with local Health Enforcement and Cops. Take the revenue and hire more enforcement. The revenue stream would even grow for a while, since the smokers that are out there are stubborn cusses. But sooner or later there would be a tipping point where enforcement actually starts working. And the road to that tipping point would be self funding. Its simple really. Except I am increasingly convinced that the admin in enforcement DOES NOT WANT to actually, you know, enforce the smoking regs and insure that the promises of safe and comfortable travel from GO are backed up... I mean, given the history - who would think that?
Unfortunately I suspect the no feet on the seat bylaw will almost never be enforced. Many TSO's will probably see it as too minor an issue to be worth spending any time on. Also even if the TSOs did decide to issue tickets for this, I imagine that most provincial court prosecutors won't want to bother prosecuting something like this. These tickets will almost certainly be the first ones dropped if there is any shortage of court space or the fines will be plea bargained down to something like $5.00, just so the prosecutor can get the issue off his or her plate.
Also, while the fines from the administrative monetary penalties issued to fare evaders and parking violators goes directly to GO Transit, I think the fines issued for things like feat on the seat do not. I think these bylaw violations are still handled through the provincial courts which means that any fine revenue collected goes to the local municipality where the ticket was issued not to GO Transit. This means that GO would probably rather have their TSOs focus on fare evasion and parking since the company gets to keep the fine money form those infractions whereas they don't for other bylaw violations.
Our apologies to you, lady, for reality itself being such that, when one ventures into the outside world, one is sort of coerced into having to share whatever's out there with total strangers (often completely unlike themselves) and, as such, are also somewhat coerced into making uncomfortable compromises.
Too bad the whole world is not your "private domain" and you get to have total say-so over whatever goes down around you.
8 comments:
Why on earth would you publicly flaunt this!? It's a finable offence for crying out loud!
The thing is G, no one has ever been fined for the infractions!
If GO Transit decided to step it up and start fining people, then there would never be fare hikes again (or at least until people start behaving in a considerate manner).
I know, I know. I still remember that one glorious week at Oshawa station when they were actually fining smokers on the platform. You're practically wading through ankle deep butts in some places. Last week I actually saw a guy sitting on the step of the coach while smoking a cig. And every morning there's a d-bag who likes to stand right outside the door and vape away for 5 minutes before the train departs, even though there's a small smoking area not 20 feet away. GO wouldn't have to raise fares ever again if they stepped up enforcement.
Yup.
Do the math.
Just the train stations - 50 or so.
At Oakville during rush hour, I've consistently counted 10-12 smokers in any five minute period. In the entry ways, in the bus loops, under the no smoking signs, in the stairwells on the platforms. They aren't hard to spot (or smell). They tend to surge just after (or before) trains arrive or leave.
$45 bucks a pop. Spend 5 minutes per train at any station in the morning rush and you're looking at thousands of dollars of new revenue in a day - FROM ONE STATION.
And that's the point. If you have ever complained to Public Affairs or enforcement I would bet all I have that you have heard "Well, our enforcement people can't be EVERYWHERE".
They. Don't. Have. To. Be.
One station per rush hour per day - work with local Health Enforcement and Cops.
Take the revenue and hire more enforcement. The revenue stream would even grow for a while, since the smokers that are out there are stubborn cusses. But sooner or later there would be a tipping point where enforcement actually starts working. And the road to that tipping point would be self funding.
Its simple really.
Except I am increasingly convinced that the admin in enforcement DOES NOT WANT to actually, you know, enforce the smoking regs and insure that the promises of safe and comfortable travel from GO are backed up...
I mean, given the history - who would think that?
Unfortunately I suspect the no feet on the seat bylaw will almost never be enforced. Many TSO's will probably see it as too minor an issue to be worth spending any time on. Also even if the TSOs did decide to issue tickets for this, I imagine that most provincial court prosecutors won't want to bother prosecuting something like this. These tickets will almost certainly be the first ones dropped if there is any shortage of court space or the fines will be plea bargained down to something like $5.00, just so the prosecutor can get the issue off his or her plate.
Also, while the fines from the administrative monetary penalties issued to fare evaders and parking violators goes directly to GO Transit, I think the fines issued for things like feat on the seat do not. I think these bylaw violations are still handled through the provincial courts which means that any fine revenue collected goes to the local municipality where the ticket was issued not to GO Transit. This means that GO would probably rather have their TSOs focus on fare evasion and parking since the company gets to keep the fine money form those infractions whereas they don't for other bylaw violations.
Our apologies to you, lady, for reality itself being such that, when one ventures into the outside world, one is sort of coerced into having to share whatever's out there with total strangers (often completely unlike themselves) and, as such, are also somewhat coerced into making uncomfortable compromises.
Too bad the whole world is not your "private domain" and you get to have total say-so over whatever goes down around you.
why would you show off so ugly feet?
Pretty confident she's a Generation Y'er
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