Catpaw – diary of an angry cat

Oh my, what a nasty kettle of fish this story has opened. Ontario is pondering a ban on cell phone use while driving. Hurray – it’s long overdue. The local paper, The Toronto Star, ran an article last week that, I suppose, was supposed to drum up support for cab drivers here in the city. Seems cabbies want to fight the ban because they
… say a behind-the-wheel cellphone ban, … impact[s] them more than most.

Further they say “Cabbies, … have become very skilled at driving while talking on the phone. “With a very high usage of cellphones we’ve not seen a correlating increase in accidents,” he argues.

Well, with that said, let’s put all our lives at risk and let the phone calls begin! If anything, this story has me hopping mad. Cab drivers in this city are some of the most irresponsible drivers I have ever seen. AND THAT IS SAYING A LOT! Toronto seems to excel at horrific near misses, arrogant driving, obnoxious behaviour and aggressiveness pushed to the nth level. There may not be a REPORTED correlation in increased accidents, but there sure are a lot of near misses.

Quite frankly I don’t give a rat’s ass about their complaint. Normally, I try to see both sides of the argument, but in this case you are talking about public safety – my safety. And just because they are cab drivers, doesn’t make them any better at driving. On the contrary, many of the drivers seem to treat the streets of Toronto as a some sort of demented speedway. I’ve been nearly clipped twice by cabs running through crosswalks – that dent in the side of the Becks cab last month? That was my foot hitting the side panel as it played beat the pedestrian through the LEGAL crosswalk. How about the nifty, and illegal U turns that go on all the time? Again, how many times do I have to be honked at, while crossing safely, by some jackass in a cab who wants to finish his U turn in the middle of an intersection. The unsafe lane changes are legendary – zipping in and out at high speeds, rushing lights, crowding cars that are too slow. Nice. Oh and suddenly shifting from a north bound lane to a south bound lane (in the middle of a traffic jam) was a sight to behold, especially when the cabbie started to push his way into our lane, blocking traffic coming both ways. His rude gestures to us were very appreciated by the way.

Let’s look at the cabs from a passenger’s point of view – something I only do in an emergency now. I’ve been treated to trips that make Mr Toad’s wild ride look tediously boring. They can be hair raising, often for the unsafe lane changes, abrupt stops and lack of attention by the driver. But what really ticks me off is the lack of knowledge some of the drivers display about the city itself. I had one driver not even know where St. Mike’s hospital is. Now how in hell can you be a cab driver in this city and not know a major downtown landmark? This is not unusual either. I often print off a map of where I’m going before getting into a cab or I’ll get taken for a real ride. I’ve had cabbies so interested in their phone calls, they’ve completely missed where they are taking me.  I had one driver, so intent on his conversation, he went West instead of South East. When I pointed out to him he was going the wrong way, he kept saying he was taking a shortcut. No sorry pal, West never gets you East. Get the f’n phone out of your ear and pay attention. I’ve actually insisted the cab pull over so I can get out because of the driver’s attitude – I know when I’m being taken for a ride. I know this city very well. I get hot under the collar when someone tries to tell me I’m ignorant about the traffic (his words, not mine by the way). No matter how hard the cab driver tries, I know you cannot get to Union Station by going West on Bloor street to Spadina. It is not a shortcut. Trust me.  When I get a good cabbie, I tip very well. That used to be quite often. Now it seems to be the exception rather than the rule.

I’m all for having the phones for safety or for use while NOT driving. But this idea of being exempt from the ban is ludicrious. Cabbies, if anyone, should adhere to the ban because they are playing with the lives of their passengers, not just their own. Call home when you don’t have a passenger and are pulled over.  Leave the line open when you have a passenger, but take the phone away from your ear and pay attention to your job.

Stumble it!