TTC plans to eliminate the subway guard and when people hear about it they are not happy

Did you hear the news? After raising fares and hiring more goons, trying to shame riders with idiotic, condescending new fare evasion posters and admitting that the Eglinton LRT construction  is running way behind schedule, it turns out the folks running the TTC are planning to get rid of the subway guard position on subway trains.

According to the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 113, which represents more than 12,000 TTC workers, "Toronto Transit Commission riders will be at much higher risk if the TTC follows through with its plan to eliminate one of the two crew members on a subway train."

In a press release today they note that:

...in addition to ensuring riders enter and exit the train safely, the guard provides a crucial set of eyes scanning the platform, watching for people being harassed or attacked, for lost children, for people with mobility issues or for distressed individuals who appear suicidal.
Guards have intervened to stop the train in cases where a passenger has fallen into the gap between the subway and the platform and is in danger of serious injury. Guard interventions have also rescued passengers from assaults by ensuring police are called to the scene. In the case of medical emergencies – on the platform or inside a moving train – guards are first responders.
Some passengers choose to ride in the back car where the guard is located since the presence of the guard helps deter aggressive or unruly behaviour. Perhaps most importantly, guards are trained to lead an emergency evacuation of passengers through a darkened tunnel where there is a live third rail, in the event a train is stranded due to a fire, a power outage or other threat to public safety.

The TTC is doing this even though it has done it before with less than stellar results:

One-person crews have been in operation since 2016 on the less-travelled Line 4 Sheppard Line – and the results raise serious safety concerns. There has been a significant increase in red light violations by train operators – not surprising since these operators are responsible for not just driving the train but also opening and closing the doors while carrying out all other duties related to passenger safety.
Red light violations are extremely dangerous. They occur when a train fails to stop at a red light signal, proceeding despite the presence of something or someone on the track.

The union has been trying to raise public awareness about the plan and, unsurprisingly, when the public hears about it, they don't like it:

In a new poll by Mainstreet Research, two thirds of all Torontonians disapprove of TTC management's plan to reduce subway crews by eliminating the subway guard position. Close to six in 10 say it is "extremely/very important" that Torontonians agree with any plan to reduce crew sizes, while more than eight in 10 Torontonians (84%) want meaningful public input into TTC safety planning.

 And apparently all of this is only likely to save around three cents a ride.

The TTC strikes again.