tmlittle
Active Member
From the Globe:
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Surge in suicides on GO Transit tracks highlights need for new prevention tactics
There have been 17 deaths by suicide on GO tracks so far in 2019. With six weeks left in the year, that toll is already more than twice as high as the annual average for the rest of the decade, and half again higher than the next worst yearwww.theglobeandmail.com
They seem to have conflated two issues - suicide vs. trespassing.
AoD
I think this is an important point when it comes to a solution-minded approach. Trespassers on lesser-used corridors that suddenly saw increased GO service are, IMO, at least somewhat likely to be habitual pedestrian users of the rail corridor rather than actively suicidal and seeking out an opportunity. The latter is much harder to prevent than the former, but the former raises important questions about the walkability of some of these areas and what brings people to them in the first place. Waterloo's Regionally-owned Spur Line (ex-CN Waterloo Spur/Waterloo Sub) got an official multi-use trail next to it in part because the entire rail corridor was one giant desire path, and trespassing was totally normalized. Similarly, trespassing incidents on the ION corridor have revealed areas of poor walkability, or where the ION impacted informal pedestrian patterns that weren't properly studied or considered, such as constant jaywalking at some intersections without legal pedestrian crossings. I'd hazard a guess that walkability is fairly poor in many of the suburban GTA areas that are suddenly seeing increased GO service.
