Cell phone fines on pedestrians talking during road crossing from $50 for their first offence up to $125 for their third offence
The Canadian Bazaar
TORONTO: Pedestrians in Ontario using cell phones while crossing streets could soon face fines.
A new bill suggests fining distracted pedestrians anything from $50 for their first offence up to $125 for their third offence.
Called the `zombie bill’ after the supernatural creature, it aims at discouraging distracted behaviour by pedestrians because as many as 25 pedestrians have been hit and killed on Toronto’s streets this year so far.
The bill’s author Liberal MPP Yvan Baker said the law will help raise awareness about distracted behaviour by pedestrians and thus save lives on the city’s streets.
Premier Kathleen Wynne said the bill was an interesting proposal, but pedestrian-safety advocacy group Walk Toronto opposed it on the grounds that the pedestrians should not be penalized for using their right-of-way which the drivers should respect.
Toronto city council has already proposed to the provincial government to ban use of cellphones while crossing roads and streets.
Honolulu is the only jurisdiction in North America which bans texting by people while crossing roads.
