Imminent Death Threat

What’s In Your Zone? : 

What’s In Your Zone?

Slide 2: 

On Aug 19, 2008 I stood in front of Downsview Public School to count the number of fuel tanker trucks that passed by me from 930am-400pm (when children would be attending classes). I counted 53 tanker trucks and videotaped two that went through red lights. I witnessed drivers talking on cell phones, going through paper work or eating. Along with tankers I was also interested in the number of transport trucks passing and began counting them as well. Starting at 9:45am until 4:00 pm, 170 transport trucks passed me, I didn’t count any 5 ton trucks that passed (and they were numerous). I was further amazed with the number of people that drive through school zones using cell phones or doing other tasks while not paying attention to the road.

Slide 3: 

On residential streets where a school is the speed limit is 40 km hour most have signs indicating no trucks allowed through that zone. Yet schools built along busy city streets where tankers full of fuel as well transport trucks (with who knows what in their cargo hold) are allowed to do 60km hour.

Slide 4: 

I live within 1km of the propane tank blast at Sunrise Propane. I rushed to the burning area thinking that a plane had crashed. I stood in total shock and disbelief at what I was witnessing. Standing on the football field at Downsview Secondary School I was only about 500 yards away from the most horrific sight I’ve ever seen in my 43 years of living in this area. As I understand it, propane is designed to explode upwards. Gasoline, on the other hand, will flow like water bringing devastation to everything it comes in contact with. Not only will there be a devastating explosion, but the toxic fumes it would produce would also fill the sky. Let’s also remember that our city roads have manholes and sewer grates along the side of the road that the spill would enter. Within those systems, methane gas is present. Just imagine what would happen if burning gasoline began seeping into those sewers. We would be facing a massive explosion crippling a wide area within the immediate zone.

Slide 5: 

We’ve all seen video footage of gas tanker explosions before, but consider this: our city street limits are designed for car traffic. A car traveling at 60km per hour takes a certain distance to come to a full stop. Whereas a fuel tanker, transport truck or anything larger then a car takes 3 times longer to come to complete stop .We all know that an accident in a car traveling 60km hour has proven to be fatal. A tanker on the other hand doing 60km hour down a main street crashing into another vehicle may not do much damage to the tanker itself but if it overturns or the other vehicle involved catches fire, would we be able to evacuate that area quick enough?.

Slide 6: 

I completely understand that we need gas, propane, diesel etc to function as a society. I’m not attacking that industry or its drivers. What I would like to see is the speed limits reduced in the school zones along main city roads. Let speed limits reflect the growing number of heavy trucks going through school zones or ban them altogether from entering those zones while children are attending classes. I believe that red light cameras (used in some main intersections) could be put to use in school zones as well. Also, police with radar guns should be more prevalent in these areas.

Slide 7: 

Our children deserve to feel safe no matter what school they attend and our laws don’t protect our schools equally. How dare our politicians allow this to go on! Why do our traffic enforcers continue to ignore school zones registered at sixty kilometres per hour. After all our politicians are constantly stating that our children are our future. It’s time that we took steps to protect our future from speeding cars and dangerous tanker trucks passing them while they are in school. Politicians have ignored school zones on main streets for too long with a speed limit of 60 km per hour. Allowing tanker trucks and transport trucks to pass our children’s schools is irresponsible and outrageous.

Slide 8: 

We respectfully request that speed limits not only be lowered but that we have traffic enforcers whether they be mechanical devices (such as video surveillance or red light cameras) or police presence until a time when an acceptable resolution can be made through the Ontario Highway Traffic Act. These tankers are travelling throughout city streets all over Canada. Not only in Toronto. Please, sit outside your home, even for an hour, and take notice of what’s going up and down your street. You may be as surprised, as I was.

Slide 9: 

If you are interested in signing Our petition, please visit: http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/nomoregastrucks