Video of Torontonians rocking a parked vehicle out of a TTC streetcar’s path is circulating online as the city continues to grapple with the aftermath of back-to-back snowstorms.
In videos taken by Abby Hanson and provided to CTV News Toronto, a small group of people can be seen banding together to move a vehicle blocking the 506 Carlton streetcar from continuing its route near College Street and Ossington Avenue on Feb. 20.
Siobhan Crummey told CTV News Toronto that she was heading to a nearby bar to watch the Canada and U.S. battle in the 4 Nations Face-Off final when she saw the streetcar stopped outside.
She said that a bystander later told her online that they had already been waiting for the streetcar to move for approximately one hour.
“Then we realized it was 10 people [versus] one car, might as well try,” Crummey said.
In the background of the video, someone can be heard shouting “not a good idea” as a handful of people circled the vehicle and started rocking it back and forth.
“It’s going, it’s going!” another exclaims in the background.
Seconds later, the TTC driver steps out of the streetcar to examine the path ahead, gauging whether or not he has enough room to continue driving. After a moment, streetcar driver nods his head and immediately after thumbs up gestures are seen and cheers erupt.
“It was crazy, I did not think it was going to work,” Crummey said. “But it did and it rocked.”
Crummey adds that a nearby store owner said they could hear their cheers from the street.
TTC spokesperson Stuart Green confirmed to CTV News Toronto the transit agency is aware of the video, adding it was one of “hundreds of similar incidents” they have seen over the past week.
“We would ask motorists parking on roads with streetcar tracks to be mindful of their distance in relation to the tracks to avoid this happening,” Green said. “If we have to call for a tow, the driver will be fined. In this case the incident cleared before we needed a tow truck.”
A city spokesperson confirmed to CTV News Toronto that, with the major snowstorm condition in effect, all vehicles parked on snow routes, including streetcar routes, will be towed at the owner’s expense and subjected to a fine of up to $200.
Green said the TTC does not “condone” residents taking matters into their own hands and moving vehicles themselves as shown in the video but he said “it does speak to the frustration our customers feel when this happens.”
“Since the last storm, we’ve seen hundreds of these types of delays impacting thousands of customers by anywhere up to an hour-and-a-half,” Green said.
On Monday, Coun. Josh Matlow tabled an emergency motion at the TTC’s board meeting, calling for improved snow clearing along open sections on lines 1 and 2, higher accessibility standards at surface stops, and steeper fines for motorists who block transit vehicles.
“I don’t believe Torontonians should have to climb a mountain of snow when they are simply trying to get to the TTC stop to get to work or school,” Matlow said on Monday.
Mayor Olivia Chow echoed those sentiments on Tuesday, calling for the city manager to conduct a fulsome review of Toronto’s winter maintenance operations in what she’s calling a “slow” response to February’s snowstorms.
