This Post is from our Community organization Residents for A Quiet Ride:

https://www.facebook.com/residentsforaquietride

The Handsome TTC inspector at College Street and Lansdowne Avenue, Thursday June 13, 2013 in the afternoon.

I’m riding home after a morning meeting and a trip to my bank. As I am passing Brock Avenue heading west I see and unusual sight, a streetcar driver heading east stop his streetcar and flag down the another streetcar heading in the opposite westerly direction towards my home. This is very unusual for me to see at this location. In fact I never have in 25 years or more. Those kind events usually take place at major intersections. So why here? and why now? – are the questions that are racing through my head.

The light turns green and I proceed west towards home at College and Lansdowne then I understand. From about 200 meters away I see this white male with a very white shirt and the requisite hat of a TTC inspector standing very prim and proper just beyond the intersection. As I get closer I can even see his TTC Inspector automobile in the background parked within 30 meters.

I put my bike inside my house and decide that I’m going to thank him for his efforts and share my observations about TTC streetcars, their drivers, the tracks and the unnecessary vibrations.

So as I walk up to this TTC inspector he sees me coming and his posture takes on the demeanor of a cop ready for battle. So to try and put him at ease because I know how some white men in uniforms can get when they see a 6’2” big-bald-black male coming their way can be. I smiled and introduced myself and conveyed my thanks for his efforts. And to further put him at ease I commented how refined he looked in that perfectly ironed shirt as well as how handsome he looked even though his stance was like a cop ready for battle.

… He smiled. Oh thank god I said to myself. Then he visibly relaxed.

I saw he had a chart/log for writing down, presumably, time-of-day, direction and speed of streetcar. He also had a speed-gun. I commented on the speed-gun and told him I had my own also for the same purpose. He asked me where I got mine and was it a newer model. I said ordered it over the Internet and yes it was newer. He said wished he had one the size of a phone as it would be easier to disguise from the intended targets [the streetcars in this case]. I smiled.

BTW his name was Darren.

So I pointed out to Darren that all that “these TTC drivers are telling each other of your presence here and are slowing down to the requisite 10 km per hour across track intersections only because you are here”. He only smiled.  Furthermore, I pointed out the obvious that he couldn’t get a true reading of the speeds these TTC vehicles are actually travelling through these intersections precisely because they know he is here. He nodded and smiled again.

As if from my mouth to God’s ear, a streetcar driver who looked like Santa Clause with a really short beard, changing shifts, walked right up to the inspector with a great big smile on his face and said, believe it or not, “you’ll never catch us” … “you’ll need to dig a fox hole” [before you have a chance of catching us speeding]. At that point we all laughed knowing the truth of this statement. Darren, the inspector, politely and dutifully pointed out that he will be returning and placing himself in a different position the next time he shows up. Me and the TTC streetcar driver laughed simultaneously because we knew you can spot this handsome white-shirted and capped man from 200 meters.

I kinda liked Darren that day because of something else he said. He said he’s noticed the excessive vibrations of the streetcars crossing the bridge, the breakdown of the roads carrying the streetcars as well as suggesting we [the community] ask our TTC through the appropriate channel [the area councilor’s office] to get small volumes of water pumped into the streetcar tracks to mitigate the sound of the screeching wheels as they have done in neighbourhoods such as Neville Park, Richmond and King Streets.

Lastly, here is the not-so-funny thing. I received a copy of a report done by the TTC’s media/customer relations’ arm the other day as forwarded by our ward councilor’s assistant. The councilor is trying to be attentive to the excessive vibration and track noise. The community and I are grateful. Nevertheless this report indicated that prior to June 13^th, the overwhelming majority of speed related recordings taken at our intersection indicate the TTC streetcars have been travelling at the required speed! OMG not true.

After my encounter with TTC inspector Darren, do any of us actually think that the ‘official line’ from TTC media and customer relations was properly done or assessed? REALLY?

We – the community – are not fools. We are human beings who care about our neighbourhood. The TTC officials don’t live here and don’t seem to care enough to do, in my opinion a proper assessment process. Therefore, sadly, we will have to take our own speed documentation with people not in uniform and not as handsome. If I end up taking the speed assessments, I will be wearing a reflective vest. The reason for this is; as a 6’2” big-black-bald-male holding a speed-gun could be interpreted as more than what it is; if you know what I mean [wink wink].

Wish us luck and good data gathering.