Daily BrewTTC to review hiring, training procedures after fatal collision, but that can only fix so much
The latest tragedy to hit Toronto streets couldn’t come at a worse time. Fourteen-year-old Amaria Diljohn was killed on Friday while crossing a Scarborough street not far from her home.
She was struck by a city bus, which was turning at the time, and police report that bus left the scene of the collision.
The death, just days before Christmas, has led to some serious introspection inside Toronto’s transit agency.
Toronto Transit Commission CEO Andy Byford announced on Monday that they would conduct a thorough safety review and look for ways to improve the system and improve hiring and training.
“The tragic death of Amaria Diljohn Friday evening has shaken all of us at the TTC,” Byford said in a released statement. “I want to give the public, customers and all TTC employees assurance that safety is, and will remain, paramount in all that we do.”
This review will dig into all staffing matters involving buses and streetcars – including recruitment strategies, training, recertification and monitoring programs.
The comprehensive examination was actually launched several weeks ago, following reports that TTC drivers were disobeying transit lights. Byford said the issue would be handled more quickly in light of the latest incident.
According to Toronto police, the 14-year-old girl was struck and killed by a bus while crossing Neilson Road, at Finch Avenue East.
The 27-year-old driver of the bus failed to remain at the scene of the collision, police noted.
As tragic as this incident is, the reality is that bus drivers face an uphill battle every time they go to work. It is a difficult job, with difficult circumstances. And any slip can have horrific results.
Amalgamated Transit Workers, Local 113 – the union that represents Toronto’s transit drivers – released a statement over the weekend expressing their remorse over Diljohn’s death.
"We are shocked and devastated by this grievous tragedy and our hearts go out as one to this young girl’s family and friends. No words can express the depth of our sadness for those who knew and loved her and no circumstances surrounding what happened can lessen their overwhelming sorrow," the statement reads.
"Our 10,000 members are of many faiths and each of us extends our personal prayer that her loved ones will be given the immeasurable strength and courage that will be needed to carry on in the face of this profound loss."
The union is assisting with the police investigation, so it is important to note that they have said nothing else about the incident.
In the past, ATU 113 has been unflappable in its defence of drivers, outlining the dangers and struggles that come with the job. Ticket takers who fell asleep on the job have received their full support; drivers at the centre of internal investigations have received backing.
On two separate occasions this year, Toronto bus drivers were removed from duty after running red lights. Videos of the incidents showed near-misses with pedestrians.
A bus driver who was let go after running a red light in July received support from the union, which demanded the TTC reinstate the single mother but remove her from her driving duties.
Following the most recent incident, in October, union president Bob Kinnear said people make mistakes.
“The reality is, is you’ve got human being in operation. And when you work in the industry that we do with the long-hour days that we have and the repetition that we have — and I’m not making excuses … mistakes will occur,” Kinnear told the Star.
And why is it that embattled workers receive unwavering support? It’s not about internal politics, not entirely. It’s because other TTC workers know how difficult the job really is. How the endless traffic and unpredictable pedestrians can become after a long day of driving.
Two years ago, the Toronto Star compiled a study on TTC accidents and found that there are about 3,000 collisions involving a public transit vehicle each year, a number that was slowly declining.
And that may seem like a lot, but considering TTC vehicles covered 11 million kilometres that year, it is actually fairly low.
None of this makes up for Diljohn’s death. It doesn’t forgive the driver who left the scene – though police note he turned himself in before any public appeal was made.
But it perhaps speaks to the difficulties bus drivers face in Toronto. Indeed, the struggle they face in any city.
It is easy to hate public transit operators. If you don’t ride the bus, their vehicles are always in the way. If you do, their vehicles are never there when you need them. Or are uncomfortable, or too crowded. But they are people, just like you and I.
The TTC is right to review its hiring and training policies, even expedite that review in light of the recent death. But don’t expect it to be a cure-all solution. In the end, these are still people they’re hiring to drive buses.
And Toronto’s busy, narrow streets are still a labyrinth of potential hazards and mistakes.
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