Jul 7, 2009

18 By-law, for whom?

It is prohibited to smoke on TTC (Toronto Transit Commission) property. No smoking signs can be seen everywhere, spread across the walls on the bus platforms, on the lower levels where you board the trains, on buses, streetcars, trains along with the by-law and fine ($1000.00). It’s a virtual proliferation of warnings heeding passengers to not light up to obey the law. I have seen people reprimanded, written up by the police, escorted off the property while the worst perpetrators/offenders of the law are the TTC employees themselves. On any given day at the subway stations some employees can be seen lighting up, smoking their cigarettes happily puff, puff, puff, puffing away sucking on the cancer stick either individually or in pairs while the General Public (GP) smokers are vehemently chastised and penalized for doing the same.

TTC By-law No. 1

Public Notice


3. Conduct on Transit System

3.32 “No person shall smoke in or on TTC property or carry a lighted cigar, cigarette, pipe, other tobacco product, or any other lighted smoking equipment or material while in or on TTC property”.

4. Penalties and Enforcement

4.1 Any person who contravenes any provision of this by-law may be removed from the transit system and TTC property and may have any fare media confiscated by the TTC.

4.2 Any person who contravenes any provision of this by-law is guilty of an offence and upon conviction is liable to a fine as provided for in the Provincial Offences Act.

4.3 The provisions of this by-law may be enforced by a proper authority as defined in this by-law

The forgoing restated By-law No. 1 is hereby consented to and passed by the Commissioners of the TTC, this 21st day of January, 2009, pursuant to Subsections 143 and 366 of the City of Toronto Act.

Does the no smoking signs and laws on TTC property not apply its employees?


Are the TTC staff automatically exempt of penalty for not abiding by the TTC By-law and held to a different standard?

Are "WE" the general public to assume that TTC employees are not liable for lighting up on TTC property?


If the employees are seemingly exempt for disobeying these said by-laws does it then not stand to reason that the implication may be that the cigarette butts and cigarettes paraphernalia belong to the general public (GP)?

Is the maintenance of our transit system not our collective responsibility?

Why would the general public be motivated to up hold and abide by the law when some of the very ones employed by those that enforce the law, behave as if they don't give a damn about the law, respect it or care to follow it. Should they not be the good example?

18 comments:

  1. It is an universal phenomenon and not confined to TTC alone.Here the drivers of transport corprations violate the rules and regualtions with impunity endangering the lives of other road users.But law enforcemnt cannot book them without a sanction from transport corporations.They get away with minor punishments in departmental proceedings.The workers are unionised.Unless social awareness is built in homes and schools such aberations would continue

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  2. Namaste !!

    I love the way you greet people from India !! Namaste means I respectfully greet the Lord who is present inside you...

    Your post is interesting.. Who should bell the cat ? Will this problem go away if we keep quiet ? I suggest a strong representation is made to the senior management of TTC with copy marked to media.

    After all, smoking is more harmful to the people around than the people who smoke themselves..

    cheers

    Vish

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  3. so true..if u dont believe in wat u preach, no one will follow!!
    i agree..u must write a strong mail on this..lets see wat happens!

    ReplyDelete
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    ReplyDelete
  5. I agree with you completely about smoking. I just don't understand why people do it when there are studies out to show how bad it is. It's not like we don't know.

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  6. I'm always wondering if those types of things are purposefully ignored for employees or what. I think it's inconsiderate for people to smoke around others anyway especially when the person obviously doesn't smoke.

    Have a great weekend... and thanks for always stopping by. :)

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  7. NO smoking, I think, should mean exactly that. No. None. Seems they're a bit confused.

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  8. Tax on behavior helps in keeping public transportation running. What are we going to do when everyone guits lighting up? God bless the smokers we need them.j

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  9. in scotland smoking has been banned from all public places. you cant have a quiet drink in the park .dogs are banned from fouling in the streets..you cant even feed the pidgens any more a crime which comes with a stiffer fine than driving without a seatbelt …but on the plus side we can still enjoy free bus travel ..well if your over 60 years of age .. have a good day ,drew

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  10. well we dont have signs anywhere except probably the public trains and buses and still youfind people who break the rules……………….i cant stand the smell of smoke so im always going requesting people to close their fires………..lol

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  11. Practically every city in our state has gone non smoking in all buildings. I sure wish it would make people quit smoking, but it doesn’t

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  12. We had " non smoking" inside the building a back two year ago and it seems working especially in the restaurants it does make a clean air and more enjoyable to eating a foods. Some people are smorking at outside then how to stopped that?From last week a packet of cigarett $20-00 but still some people never stop for thier bad habit?

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  13. This one really does make you go … hummmmm. It never ceases to amaze me how easily some people disregard laws, rules, and regulations. It’s like you said, they behave as if the laws were made for everyone except them. It is akin to people breaking into your house and stealing your hard worked for things simply because they’re too trifling to "work" for what they want.

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  14. How did TTC employees reply to your critique about smoking on the premises? That is a response you should record and submit to TTC Chair Giambrone as well as local media.

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  15. What you all need to do is take photos of them smoking and submit it to the News media. Put them on blast! The law is the law and it applies to everyone. What is good for the goose is good for the gander.

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  16. They make all these laws, but forget about people who don’t smoke. Ozone is getting worse; so they allow you to smoke outside. (Stupid) People smoking in your face.. They should ban smoking in all public places. If you want to smoke do it at home; just like you cannot drink on streets. they make laws to deter poor people. The rich can do as they please

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  17. There are laws for everything. Society pretty much decides which ones must be imposed.

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  18. Obeying law through self imposed discipline seems a matter of past, folks now a days require some one to steer them all the time.The concept of BORN FREE being adopted in ………..sense?

    ReplyDelete

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