A story in the Toronto Star today showed that, despite the hype about gun-related deaths in Toronto, the car was deadlier than the gun in 2005. In Toronto, 59 people died in traffic accidents, while 52 were killed by guns. Half of those traffic deaths were pedestrians (29).
“This is a serious problem, but it’s something that has been downplayed or ignored by a lot of people. It seems to be as if people expect (traffic fatalities) to be one of the factors of modern life,” said Helen Riley, co-chair of the Toronto Pedestrian Committee. “That’s not the way it needs to be.”
Meanwhile, the city of Stockholm, Sweden introduced congestion charges — a payment by every car entering the downtown centre. It was a big success in reducing traffic. While many locals are opposed, the experience of congestion charges where they were first introduced, in London, England, suggests the population will come around to the project once they experience its benefits.
“There was lots of apocalyptic talk before it was introduced,” said Richard Dodd, spokesman for the Transport for London congestion charging body. “People said things like public transport will not cope, London will become a ghost town, businesses will be driven out and nobody will come to central London to shop any more. None of that has turned out to be true,” said Dodd.
