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Volume 14, Issue 2
April 2005
April
Informer now available in PDF. (926 kb)
In
this issue:
Safety
and winter driving at GRT
It's been a long,
snowy and icy winter at GRT and about a month ago we had a particularly
vicious ice storm. I understand from members of C.A.W. executive that
we had a very high number of collisions (approx. 15) that day.
Over the next several
days, people suggested that the executive or Health and Safety really
"ought to do" something about parking the buses during weather
like that.
Okay, I'm up to the challenge. What follows are my thoughts and opinions
on winter storm driving based on my knowledge of Ontario Health and Safety
(O.H.&S.) regulations, GRT Operating policy and discussions with Ministry
of Labour (M.O.L.) inspectors.
The person who is ultimately
in charge of whether or not it is safe to drive a given bus down a given
street at a given time is YOU, the operator behind the wheel. You have
the right under OH&S legislation to "refuse to do work or do
particular work where he or she has reason to believe (a) any equipment,
machine, device or thing the worker is to use or operate is likely to
endanger himself/herself or another worker; (b) the physical condition
of the workplace or the part thereof in which he or she works or is to
work is likely to endanger himself or herself. (OH&S Act Sec. 43(3)(a)(b))
It would seem to me that a driver might have "reason to believe"
that driving during an ice or snow storm "is likely to endanger him
or herself"
There seems to be a misconception out there among drivers that if you
perform a "work refusal" you will get into "trouble"
or be considered a "bad" driver by management. I have talked
to many GRT supervisors and believe me they say they have neither the
time nor the inclination to "lie in wait" and "get"
drivers who perform work refusals.
Additionally, if any of them ever did so, they would be in violation of
Section 50(1)(a)(b)(c)(d) of the O.H,&S. Act which states. "No
employer or person acting on behalf of an employer shall: dismiss or threaten
to dismiss a worker, suspend or discipline or threaten to suspend or discipline
a worker because a worker has acted in compliance with this act or sought
enforcement of this Act"
In fact, if you performed a work refusal based on weather and road conditions
and the M.O.L. inspector did not uphold the refusal, the worst thing to
happen is that the inspector would order you to return to work! To my
knowledge, GRT policy concerning winter storm driving is to drive safely
first and to worry about the schedule second. I cannot ever envision as
GRT Supervisor telling an operator to "get that bus on time"
or to drive faster during such conditions. To me one of the best ways
to cope with snowy and icy conditions is to "drive an appropriate
speed for conditions." If that speed happens to be 1km/h then so
be it. Don't get caught up in that "gotta finish on time" mentality.
I have asked M.O.L. inspectors a couple of times over the years "would
you uphold a work refusal based on weather and road conditions?"
The answer was probably but, some factors would have to be in place first.
These are; 1) All school buses in the area had been cancelled or pulled
from the road. 2) That police and news agencies were making regular announcements
advising people to "avoid all unnecessary travel." Even with
those conditions in place, the inspector still said he would have to come
out and make a determination at the particular location at the time and
that his ruling would not necessarily apply to transit as a whole
If you have concerns about this issue or any other Health and Safety issue
contact me at: cell: 497-7870.
Maurice Levesque
Protect
your license
All too often operators
engage in practices that could seriously impact their licenses, and also
their health while trying to provide a service to the public.
I frequently see operators allowing passengers to stand well ahead of
the yellow or white line. This occurs mostly under crush load conditions.
This practice is unwise and it is unsafe, since it is difficult to see
through the front door if passengers block your view. The danger of not
being able to see through the front door, particularly when going into
a bus stop, or when changing lanes, should be obvious.
Remember, if you are involved in an accident and it's determined that
a blocked view was a determining factor, you then have put not only your
license on the line and possibly your job, but now you may also be held
liable for any resultant injuries and possible law suit. Also remember,
that in any accident or incident, it's up to you to prove your innocence.
That would be pretty hard to do if you were at fault because you couldn't
see through your front door.
Section 162 of the Highway Traffic Act states that driving a vehicle while
crowded (i.e. passengers standing ahead of the line) will earn you a $110
fine if pulled over. Is it worth it?
A comment that I have heard from operators time after time is: "
Gee, I was so busy that I haven't been able to get out of my seat for
hours and I've got to go so badly that I'm floating"… Well,
my advice to that is, simply park your bus and get out, stretch your legs,
get a coffee, and go to the washroom no matter how far it puts you down.
No one is going to reimburse you for your health if you ruin your kidneys
or bladder for the sake of a schedule. If your health goes, so does your
license and your livelihood. Is it worth it?
Klaus Biemann
Sunny
South Operations
Well, it's March already
and it's about time spring arrives and for our maintenance department
that means it's time to get the AC working. You might wonder why there
was no February report. Well, due to many other scheduled items, the committee
was not able to agree to a meeting date.
Option B was chosen for the rear door sticker - bus stops will try to
be replaced promptly by Supervisors and the bus stops on Hespeler Road
have been moved back from the curb. So let's see what is new and what
still remains:
Ongoing List:
- Bells in the 2300's:
are not very loud, still awaiting parts from Orion.
- High Beam Extension:
parts are on Al's desk (I've seen them) so now we just have to wait
for them to be installed.
- Main/Wellington:
stop is going to be moved up to Harris Street and No Parking put in.
Still waiting.
- Curb cut at Hilltop
and Franklin: still waiting to do a site visit with Cheryl/Jean.
- Cambridge Sign Facelift
Program: can anyone tell me if any Cambridge Transit signs remain?
- Problem with Ainslie
onto Main left turn - 51 South bound Problem: Patricia Heft is supposed
to go to council and the BIA with a plan for a left turn lane. Also
still on list for a USTP intersection.
- Wheel chair access
in the Power Centre: still working on issue, something will be done
for the new express route.
- Priority Signal
for Power Center: MTO to look at again, also on the list for a USTP
intersection.
- Bus Stop Replacement
and other problems: Cheryl is trying to shorten the list.
- Schedule Racks:
waiting for OK on the location and then racks will be purchased and
installed.
- Directions for Operating
Kneeling/Ramp features: Sticker will be printed up and put on buses.
Waiting for Al/Randy.
- No Parking on Eagle
Street (64): will be done with stipulations. Still waiting.
- 67 Stop on Pinebush@Franklin:
H&S and Operations will have a meeting with police.
- Bench at SDM: to
be moved back (Ainslie).
- Stop Sign at Sportsworld
Terminal: still a work in progress, I think Cheryl forgot!
- SNOW REMOVAL: has
improved but will look at another plan for the following years.
- KFC King Street:
bus stop to be repainted. (on the road)
- Time frame for completion
of items: committee agreed that a time frame needs to be agreed on,
so starting next month I will attempt to attach a time frame to outstanding
and new items that hopefully will move the process along a little faster.
2400 Update:
- A/C-looking into
driver control pad.
- Remote mirror driver's
side-on order. Left side higher/right side lower.
- Timing of doors:
North doors seem faster than ours. What's up?
- Interior Lights:
blue tubes to be added.
New Items:
- 2300 Radio's: will
be left in present location.
- AC Pre-season Check:
starting the week after March break, so I'm told.
- Digital Signs: replace
our roller signs with the old signs out of retired Kitchener Buses.
Seems like this will happen.
- Left Turn at Winston/Queen:
look into moving line back.
- Advanced Green:
send a request to the City for the intersection of Conestoga/Bishop
to see if warranted.
- Our next Meeting
is scheduled for April 12, 2005, so the DEADLINE for Agenda Items will
be April 4, 2005.
Working Hard To
Be Heard.
Email: southops@caw4304.ca
If an item you have submitted is not on this report and you want to know
the status or outcome please contact me.
Zeke Baker
New
holding policy in the South
After much discussion
at the last Scheduling meeting we, by committee, adopted new concrete
rules for holding buses at Ainslie Street Terminal. I'm glad to say that
with everyone's cooperation that this new procedure is working and also
being followed. It simply states that all routes except the 51 may hold
3 minutes if a bus is in sight but no longer unless instructed to do so
by a supervisor. Route 51 between 8:15 am and 6:00 pm will not hold at
any location for transfers.
The only exception to these rules is the 5252 in which there still has
been no decision made. Go figure!
Zeke Baker
Poets
Corner
The passing of time
Echoes through our lives
Resounding through our minds
With memories of our past
Of joy and sorrow
Of love and laughter
An unwritten history
Of moments to treasure
For as time flies by
It will be our only pleasure.
Laz
A
good time, had by all
As participant and
co-organizer of the cross-country component of our annual Children's Wish
Ski-a-thon, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the participants
in this most worthwhile endeavour. Without your involvement none of this
would have been possible.
With heavy snow
in the forecast the night before, for awhile I felt a sense of deja-vu,
only instead of being rained-out as in February, it seemed like we were
about to be snowed-out this time. However, as things turned out, the forecast
storm failed to materialize, setting the stage for a truly awesome day
of both downhill and cross-country skiing.
While driving my van laden with our door prizes, I truly envied the folks
on Marlene's bus -with no worries of having to drive, just enjoying the
bus ride to Blue Mountain and back while under the able operation of Marlene.
Thanks Marlene. Your driving was awesome even though on the way back I
had a hard time seeing the road because of being stuck in the blowing
snow from the bus. Put another way, I was stuck behind her bus in her
contrails.
The cross-country trails were not a disappointment. With a 45 cm base,
most of it powder, the 16 km of groomed trails were certainly worth the
$10 trail fee for the whole day.
With 10-20 cm of fluffy snow having fallen the night before, the spectacle
of snow-laden bush and limestone cliff faces outlining the Escarpment
along the trails was a constant reminder of the pristine beauty that this
part of the province has to offer.
Once again, next year we will be offering cross-country skiing along with
our downhill skiing. We hope that you will join us then for a day of good
fun and camaraderie.
Klaus Biemann
Bus,
snow and bagpipes
(Highlights of our
6th Annual Ski-a-thon)
For the first time
in the history of our "Skiing for Dreams" Charity Ski-a-thon
for The Children's Wish Foundation, we had to cancel our original date
of Feb. 8 due to rain and fog. No one really wanted to sit in a puddle
on every chairlift ride! (And I didn't want to bring along 35 extra pairs
of "gotchies!")
So our re-scheduled event on March 1 was held successfully in Collingwood
at Blue Mountain (for the downhillers), and the Scenic Caves Nordic Centre
(for the x-c skiers), with tons of glorious snow.
For the first time in 6 years, we were able to charter a school bus from
Stock Transportation, thanks to GRT driver, Marlene McCracken. She did
a wonderful job driving on snow-covered roads, and descending the adventurous
mountain road that goes down the escarpment from Ravenna to the South
Base Lodge of Blue Mountain.
GRT driver, Klaus Biemann, drove his van to shuttle the x-c skiers up
& down the mountain road between Scenic Caves Nordic Centre and Blue
Mountain. This year was our first time offering x-c skiing. We had 5 skiers
(2 GRT drivers, 1 GRT office staff, and 2 family members) participating
on some of the 16 km of track-set trails that wind thru mature forest
overlooking the expanse of Georgian Bay. (Read Klaus' article on the x-c
skiing component.)
We had 27 downhill skiers (13 GRT drivers, 1 GRT service attendant, 13
family members and friends) participating on the slopes of Blue Mountain.
And we had 2 non-skiers (GRT drivers) who looked after all the off-hill
duties for us. So in total, we had 34 people. And for the first time in
6 years, we had women drivers skiing, 3 in fact. Jenny Pickett was the
first to sign up and pay her skiing fees. (That entitled her to supper
paid for by the author.)
Following our day of skiing, we had supper and door prizes at the Collingwood
Pizza Hut, but not before Marlene bag-piped us into the restaurant with
much pomp and flair. Not only does she have good legs for skiing, but
also good lungs.
We still have some unpaid pledges to collect, so at time of writing this
article, I cannot say accurately how much we raised for Children's Wish.
We will let you know once all the monies are in.
There are many people to thank for making our day so memorable: Lori Miller
and Jacky Eng for attending to all the off-hill duties and distributing
door prizes; Marlene McCracken for driving the bus and piping us into
the restaurant; Klaus Biemann for overseeing the x-c event and collecting
door prizes; Bernie Schubert, Deb Elliot, Lori Miller, and Kathy Clegg
for getting door prizes; Sandi Henderson for making a beautiful Afghan
door prize.
We want to thank our own CAW Local 4304 for purchasing one of our major
Grand Prize Draw items and for refreshments; Blue Mountain Resorts Ltd.
for reduced lifts and rentals rates; Scenic Caves Nordic Centre for reduced
trail fees; Collingwood Pizza Hut for accommodating our group and for
donating 10% of our group's total dinner bill to our charity; and all
the area businesses that donated door prizes, including our own Grand
River Transit of the Region of Waterloo.
We want to thank all the skiers who raised donations for our charity,
and special thanks to GRT driver, John A McDonald, who collects all the
donations from the South himself. Finally, a big "Thank You"
to all drivers, inspectors, and other transit staff who sponsored a skier
with a donation.
Together, as a team we can help bring some joy to a child struggling with
a life-threatening illness. Our ski-a-thon is one of the ways that we
make a positive contribution to our community.
Oh, by the way! Next year's ski-a-thon is on Tuesday, February 7.
More
pictures here.
THINK SNOW!!
Paul Eckmier
Bus
8509 was first with new interior colour scheme
Bus 8509 was built
along with sister ship 8510 in October 1985 in St. Eustache Quebec.
- Date of Manufacture:
October 1985
- Built By: General
Motors Diesel Division, St. Eustache, PQ
- Model: TC40102N
(Transit Coach 40 foot long 102 inches wide Non-Air-conditioned)
- Serial #2GHYT82W9F3500230
- Engine: Detroit
Diesel 6V71N producing 185 hp and 514 ft/lbs of torque
- Transmission: Allison
V731 Electronic 3-speed automatic
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| Bus 8509 mid-rebuild
at Eastway Collision in Burlington |
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| Bus 8509, 2 years
after rebuild in September 2004 |
This was the first
bus in the GRT Fleet to have the new interior decor which was black dash,
gray walls and individual blue seats. The earlier 85's (8501 to 8508)
were built in May 1985 and still had the orange paint and red bench seats.
It can be noted however, that if you open the upper dash panels, you can
see the orange paint underneath wherever there may be a scratch, so therefore
they must have decided during production that they wanted to change the
interior colour scheme.
This unit is now used mostly for school specials and will likely retire
this summer after 20 years of faithful service, having traveled just over
1,000,000 km. If only we could get our cars to have the same longevity!
Wil Wirtz
Photos: Wil Wirtz
Tomography
Comments can be made to: Wayne
Bell (Webmaster) or John A. McDonald (Assistant
Webmaster)
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