Toronto MPP Proposes a Tax on Walking

I get it … a pedestrian that didn’t look every which way didn’t happen to see you when you tried to make your last-minute turn to the right and now you’re pissed off at all pedestrians.

Maybe that was the scenario, maybe not.  Maybe you’re interested in the safety of everyone, including pedestrians, right?

Sure … I get it.

So you introduce a law that essentially imposes a tax on walking.

This is absurd.

Yes, there are pedestrians that are frequently belligerent when it comes to the use of the roads.  Maybe they’re looking down at their phone.  Maybe they’re zoned into some killer tunes.

Truth be told, I don’t care.

Here’s my issue with this:  blind people can’t see where they’re going, do they?  Disabled people in wheel chairs may not be able to do the full rotation of double checks over and over again, can they?

Are you going to tax them for not noticing when you make an aggressive turn or fail to look for pedestrians cyclists as you’re looking for an uninterrupted drive down Mt Pleasant to Queen’s Park?

As car drivers, you have an OBLIGATION to watch out for pedestrians and other hazards, regardless of what they’re doing.

Honk your horn.

Pause.

Maybe even swear at them.

But know this:  pedestrians have a RIGHT to walk at intersections and should not be threatened with spiteful pieces of legislature that might discourage walking.

This would be an outright abuse of power and a ridiculous win for the province’s car culture.

If this passes, I will push my MPP to put forward legislation that says any driver that kills a pedestrian should be tried for murder.