Pass The Hat for the Toronto Police?

Driving to work over the past couple of weeks I've noticed a new fixture on the Eastern-Adelaide-Richmond overpass that crosses the DVP. Every morning without fail I have seen a police officer stationed at the top of the bridge, aiming his or her radar unit at the eastbound traffic.

Now this is not the first time I have seen police here over the years, but I have never seen them being so diligent in protecting..um...well...I'm actually not sure what exactly they are protecting. For those of you who are familiar with this area, there is actually nothing to protect. There is little to no pedestrian or bike traffic (the few folks using the new Eastern Avenue bike lanes avoid this area like the plague) nor are there any crosswalks or schools.

So the question that begs to be asked - What is the real reason for the diligent presence of Toronto's finest? Now I will always give public agencies the benefit of the doubt (OK, not really, but let's just pretend), but I really wonder what the purpose of this crackdown could be. Could it possibly be a cash grab?

I do believe in the concept of the "speed trap". There are many areas in the city (including the stretch of Queen Street near my house) where there are schools and children playing and crossing the road. There are also areas with high concentrations of seniors residences - believe me, they get hit far more often that children crossing the street. There are a lot of people in this city who think the world revolves around them and they have the god-given right to speed wherever they want - pedestrians be dammed.

Unfortunately, the speeding in these areas is inconsistent. Often the police need to wait long periods to catch the few, but very dangerous speeders. Boredom can quickly set in with those manning the radar and worst yet, it usually makes for a revenue negative day. Now I'm not suggesting that the Toronto Police Services are only interested in money, they do a lot of great work, but if I were Bill Blair and was worried about the coffers looking a bit thin, then I would put my speed traps in a location where they would bring in the cash.

I have seen speed traps in the city that made sense (e.g. school zones, etc.) but more often than not they seem to be placed in areas where there is little impact on safety, but maximum potential for revenue generation. It's unfortunate that the need for revenue trumps the public good, perhaps we should take a serious look at how the police are funded and make sure they have the adequate resources to protect us.

Next time you see a cop manning a radar gun in a school zone, slow down as pass them your spare change - maybe that will encourage them to stay put.