mdrejhon
Senior Member
I got fined once (last year) from a forgotten Presto tap, and it was $100. I don't know if the fines are escalating, though.
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GO Transit: Service thread (including extensions)
- Thread starter drum118
- Start date
nfitz
Superstar
In London, in an extreme example, when they established a long-term pattern of not paying properly with Oyster, one guy got fined about $90,000, lost his job, and was banned from work by his professional organization (he was a banker).
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Duck
Guest
What exactly happened to the guy who got killed?
AlvinofDiaspar
Moderator
His backpack caught the departing train and he got dragged underneath for a short distance before they managed to stop it.
AoD
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Duck
Guest
I guess I meant more technically what happened - I have a hard time imagining how someone can't avoid a slow-moving giant train... Maybe we just don't know enough yet.
AlvinofDiaspar
Moderator
I don't think it is a matter of avoiding - it's probably more an issue where belts or whatnot get snagged and it's really not something that would "break away" easily. Depending on how one wear their backpack, you would have a really hard time removing it once it's caught.
AoD
Jonny5
Senior Member
Just this morning I was walking out of a train and saw a dangerous situation that was identical to what happened the other day. I was at the far west end of platform 24. A large crowd had gathered around the staircase to the York West teamway, forcing people walking past it to the edge of the platform. A man in front of me going around this crowd was carrying a gym bag in his left hand, and had a large backpack on his right shoulder. He actually did not step into the yellow strip area at all, but his backpack was hanging far enough off his shoulder that it brushed the train parked on platform 25. It had all kinds of dangling straps, one with a carbiner clip on it. In this case, the other train was not moving, but I have stepped off on the same trip and seen that run just pulling in to the platform at that time. I don't think he was even aware his backpack was touching the train.
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mdrejhon
Senior Member
Even without a carabiner clip, many brands of backpacks are covered with thin bungy loops -- thin but very strong strechy nylon bungy things -- these can snag on hook-like protrusions from a GO train. On the riveted (1979 design) cars, there's several small hook-like protrusions that can easily snag on hoodie-type cord dangling from the back of your backpack, potentially enough to yank you unexpectedly backwards under the train if you couldn't take your backpack off on time. Bigger protrusions such as the handle on the front/back of coaches, can also snag on other hooky things dangling from a backpack (e.g. canteen hook, drinking bottle attachment, dangling carabiner, etc) and unexpectedly yank you backwards to fall under the train, either by sheer pull or by balance loss.
With thousands of people accidentally usually-harmlessly bumping the side of a GO train per year, one or two are bound to possibly snag, and occasionally, snag hard enough to cause a threat of life.
An overhanging backpack can still touch a GO train, even if you're trying to stay away from the train on a crowded platform. Especially if someone gives you a minor bump of a few more inches closer to the train...
On old-style riveted 1979 coach, is about one-dozen snag hazards per coach (ten to twelve small protrusions with pinchpoints that can snag backpack bungycord, plus two large handles that can snag dangling stuff.) If you suddenly turn around, your backpack scrapes the side of a moving GO train, you can be snagged and pulled backwards by a machine stronger than the world's strongest man yanking you backwards by pulling your backpack's rear bungycord. You lose your balance, and possibly fall under the train. Especially if your backpack is on you by both straps.
Observe more than one dozen snag hazards per old riveted coach:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barrie_line#/media/File:Car_2029_at_Barrie_South_Platform.jpg
(zoom needed)
The deceivingly-small cylindrical hinges have left/right protrusions with a pinch point big enough to snag common backpack bungycord (bungy loops, or bungycord with knobby ends). There are also additional snag hazards on the various GO locomotives, too (both hook style hazards and loop style hazards).
Tweeted to GO/Metrolinx, to see if they can cover-up the snagpoints with smooth safety covers, especially as more schoolkids will use GO RER tomorrow to go between universities and high schools, and I'm also a deaf commuter, who carries a backpack, who cannot hear trains behind me.
...protruding handles, but the tiny hinges (near locomotive logo) and bolt tops (at bottom of handles) also can snag bungycords too...
Hooks are a bigger hazard to backpacks. Those are easier to solve with a cover for these. However, other hazards such as protruding handles on trains are required for GO train drivers/engineers.
But Handles can snag hooked accessories hanging off a backpack (such as a carabiner, an overhanging travelmug or travel-mug handle when travelmug attached to side of backpack, or other overhanging backpack accessories). So, all of these are snag hazards that can unexpectedly grab you from behind you, yanking you backwards and, dragging you under the train.
...bidirectional snag hazard tailor made for push pull GO service...
And I know I wouldn't want my kids (well, relative's kids when I travelled with them to the aquarium, etc) to be in my situation where a backpack could accidentally snag while they were wearing the backpack. One could suddenly turn around, brushed the backpack bungees on a snag point on a departing/arriving GO train, and game over. I do stay away from the yellow line, but what if someone accidentally bumped me towards a moving train, too?
I hope my post might save a future life (by causing commuters to be more careful with backpacks, friends/parents warning their friends/kids, and maybe Metrolinx to think of when upgrading coaches/locomotives). Subway cars avoid these snag hazards by avoiding hook or loop protrusions. As GO expands to GO RER and Union doubles in passenger traffic, and Union becomes noisier up platform (or for deaf people like me), may not hear a train behind them while the backpack dangles too close. In expansion, this will be an important safety consideration.
Love GO, just want to see this addressed eventually.
(Tweeted this post to GO -- Thanks for reading, Metrolinx!).
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Duck
Guest
...or just don't walk on the yellow strip.
mdrejhon
Senior Member
The person who died, may not have been walking on the yellow line.
It appears he was accidentally bumped into the moving train, according to the news.
(probably hit the train protruding-backpack-end-first, perhaps while he was turning around to see who bumped him).
It appears he was accidentally bumped into the moving train, according to the news.
(probably hit the train protruding-backpack-end-first, perhaps while he was turning around to see who bumped him).
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AlvinofDiaspar
Moderator
Perhaps we need commuter safe backpack designs as well - with fail-safe strap release above a certain level of tension.
AoD
AoD
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smallspy
Senior Member
He was.
As for modifying any of the protruding items on the side of a locomotive or coach - in a lot of cases, it's simply not going to happen. Sure, you may be able to come up with a new hinge design that allows for the hinge to be mounted inside the panel rather than outside, but any of the steps, grab irons, etc. are all mandated by regulation, and either can not be changed, or can only be changed very slightly.
Dan
Toronto, Ont.
mdrejhon
Senior Member
True. I acknowledged as such, in one of the paragraphs.
Hinges do not necessarily need to be located inside, a plastic snagproofing cover can also be added.
APTA-2048
Senior Member
If you're really worried, carry your back pack in your hand. You're also less likely to smack other commuters.
Riverman
Active Member
Quick question about GO, hope it is appropriate for this thread.
Last spring we were at a friends house near Kingston and Eglinton, walking distance to the GO station. We were going to take the last train downtown at around midnight but the automated kiosk would not sell us tickets. Is there a way to buy a return ticket from Eglinton GO while still downtown?
Thanks.
Last spring we were at a friends house near Kingston and Eglinton, walking distance to the GO station. We were going to take the last train downtown at around midnight but the automated kiosk would not sell us tickets. Is there a way to buy a return ticket from Eglinton GO while still downtown?
Thanks.