I was directing traffic yesterday in down town Toronto.

J

jimintoronto

Well-known Member
My self and my Wife were going to a hearing test for me at Toronto General Hospital, yesterday April 30th. As we approached the TGH location, a Toronto Fire Department truck stopped in the middle of Gerrard street, and the 4 man crew dismounted and rushed into Sick Kids Hospital, which is directly across the street from TGH. I could see smoke coming out of one of the ventilator outlets.

The street at this point is only 2 lanes wide, and the TFD truck was blocking the eastbound lane. WE were the third vehicle behind the TFD truck. After sitting for about ten minutes, with nobody moving in either direction, I got out and started speaking to the driver directly behind the fire truck. I told her that I was going to stop the west bound traffic, and to make a 3 point turn and go west. I stopped the west bound traffic, signaled the first car to make a u turn, then the second, and then the third car, which was my Wife. I held the traffic for about 4 minutes, cleared the jam, and got back into our car.

Just as things were starting to move again 2 Toronto Paramedic Ambulances arrived running lights and sirens. They were able to get into the ER entrances for both TGH and Sick Kids with no problem.

The initial problem was an inexperienced young female driver, who was afraid to pull out and drive around the fire truck, because of the oncoming traffic. BY stopping the westbound traffic, I was able to coach her to make a u turn, and leave the area. That unplugged the street.

We were able to drive north , then east, then south, to get to the parking garage for TGH. We were on time for my hearing test appointment.

Along time ago, I was a Toronto Police Auxiliary Constable, so directing traffic is something that I still know how to do. Being confident, using clear hand and arm signals, and pointing at drivers to indicate what they should do, works. JIMB>
 
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jimintoronto said:
My self and my Wife were going to a hearing test for me at Toronto General Hospital, yesterday April 30th. As we approached the TGH location, a Toronto Fire Department stopped in the middle of Gerrard street, and the 4 man crew dismounted and rushed into Sick Kids Hospital, which is directly across the street from TGH.

The street at this point is only 2 lanes wide, and the TFD truck was blocking the eastbound lane. WE were the third vehicle behind the TFD truck. After sitting for about ten minutes, with nobody moving in either direction, I got out and started speaking to the driver directly behind the fire truck. I told him that I was going to stop the west bound traffic, and to make a 3 point turn and go west. I stopped the west bound traffic, signaled the first car to make a u turn, then the second, and then the third car, which was my Wife. I held the traffic for about 4 minutes, cleared the jam, and got back into our car.

Just as things were starting to move again 2 Toronto Paramedic Ambulances arrived running lights and sirens. They were able to get into the ER entrances for both TGH and Sick Kids with no problem.

The initial problem was an inexperienced young female driver, who was afraid to pull out and drive around the fire truck, because of the oncoming traffic. BY stopping the westbound traffic, I was able to coach her to make a u turn, and leave the area. That unplugged the street.

We were able to drive north , then east, then south, to get to the parking garage for TGH. We were on time for my hearing test appointment.

Along time ago, I was a Toronto Police Auxiliary Constable, so directing traffic is something that I still know how to do. Being confident, using clear hand and arm signals, and pointing at drivers to indicate what they should do, works. JIMB>
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Duty Hero.(y).. sometimes it just takes someone with common sense to help everyone get out of a jam
 
Good job. (y)
I think part of the problem is that some people are very uneasy about breaking the rules.
Normally you would get a ticket for making a U turn.
So making one right in front of police etc seems like theyre asking for a ticket.
If traffic is totally blocked they wont give you a ticket. Its common sense.
It serves no purpose to have traffic backed up to the next county.
 
Maybe you should have considered being a Marshaller at the airport.
They are the men and women that guide the plane to it’s proper position at the gate. They also aid the pilot when pushing back and making a correct turn, so they may get to the correct runway. On pushback and landing, both the Marshaller and the wing walkers are used. The Marshaller uses a lot of hand signals to direct the pilot, who must also know the hand signals.


An Aircraft Marshaller (or ground movement coordinator) directs planes on the tarmac. They use visual hand signals or glowing wands to guide pilots safely to and from their parking gates, coordinate movements with air traffic control, and ensure the runway is clear of debris.
 
CallMeKate said:
Good feeling to step in and help out, isn't it? Do you ever miss your Constable days... or rather the work it involved?
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Yes, and no...One of the important parts of our training was how to take control of an intersection, and direct traffic. Being confident in your ability to do that was stressed over and over during the Auxiliary training program, which at that time was a 28 week program with 2 training nights per week, each 4 hours long.

This was in the early 80's, and we were issued with a number of items for traffic control duties. White gloves ( to make it easier to see your hands at night ) a flashlight with an orange plastic cone that illuminated at night, and a Fire Fox whistle. A reflective vest was also issued as well as a white plastic cap cover that went over the top of the uniform forage cap.

All of this was in addition to the complete uniform that was issued from the Toronto Police department clothing office. In Canada, police do not buy any of their uniforms, or equipment. The only thing I wore that belonged to me was my underwear and my socks., when I was on duty.

We were taught a standard set of hand and arm movements, so that all of us were doing things the same way. Standing in one spot, so that all directions could see you was important. In Canada, a traffic light controlled intersection that is being controlled by a Police officer on foot, means that the drivers must ignore the signal lights and instead follow the directions of the Police officer. Same thing at a 4 way stop intersection.

Whistle use. The whistle is used in conjunction with hand and arm signals. If there are pedestrians trying to cross the street, the officer should STOP all vehicle traffic, THEN signal the pedestrians to cross the road using the whistle to get their attention. In some cases where the roadway is multi lane, two officers will work together, to control the two directions, for example north/south and east/west.

Eye contact is super important when controlling vehicle traffic, between the drivers and the officer. Pointing AT a driver, to indicate what you want them to do is effective. Using exaggerated arm signals was taught, so drivers would understand what you wanted them to do.

The training that I went through as an Auxiliary , helped me later on when I became a licensed Private Investigator. I had a good basis of knowledge of the criminal code in Canada, and the principles of proper report writing, and evidence collecting. JIMB>
 
oldman said:
Maybe you should have considered being a Marshaller at the airport.
They are the men and women that guide the plane to it’s proper position at the gate. They also aid the pilot when pushing back and making a correct turn, so they may get to the correct runway. On pushback and landing, both the Marshaller and the wing walkers are used. The Marshaller uses a lot of hand signals to direct the pilot, who must also know the hand signals.


An Aircraft Marshaller (or ground movement coordinator) directs planes on the tarmac. They use visual hand signals or glowing wands to guide pilots safely to and from their parking gates, coordinate movements with air traffic control, and ensure the runway is clear of debris.
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Funny you should mention airport signalers. I did work for a Toronto based company that provided air side services at Pearson International. I was a cabin cleaner/baggage thrower. It was just a fill in job, while I was waiting to start working for Metro Toronto Ambulance in January of 1977. JIMB>
 
jimintoronto said:
Yes, and no...One of the important parts of our training was how to take control of an intersection, and direct traffic. Being confident in your ability to do that was stressed over and over during the Auxiliary training program, which at that time was a 28 week program with 2 training nights per week, each 4 hours long.
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I enjoyed reading that. I'm not familiar with a "Fire Fox whistle." I'll look that one up. :giggle:
Thank you for taking the time to explain how you did the directing... and the training!
 
jimintoronto said:
Funny you should mention airport signalers. I did work for a Toronto based company that provided air side services at Pearson International. I was a cabin cleaner/baggage thrower. It was just a fill in job, while I was waiting to start working for Metro Toronto Ambulance in January of 1977. JIMB>
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A lot of people take the job of being a Marshall or Wing Walker as a petty job, but they are more important than many people believe. Remember not too long ago when a plane clipped the vertical stabilizer or some part on the tail of another plane that was parked at the gate and caused a lot of damage. Planes don’t have rear view mirrors or backup cameras, but maybe they should.

I only ever had one experience when a Marshaller turned me in the wrong direction to get to my runway at O’Hare in Chicago and I ended up having to circle the airport to get to my proper runway. I think we lost almost a half hour on that trip. Some of the passengers thought we were taxiing to Las Vegas.
 
CallMeKate said:
I enjoyed reading that. I'm not familiar with a "Fire Fox whistle." I'll look that one up. :giggle:
Thank you for taking the time to explain how you did the directing... and the training!
Click to expand...
A slight correction, the whistle's proper name is the Fox whistle, used by sports officials, like foot ball and hockey officials.

The Auxiliary training course covered a lot of subjects, from understanding the Canadian Criminal code sections that allowed us to make arrests, to how to deal with a struggling person who we were arresting, to radio procedures, and the locations of every hospital Police station and public building in the 245 square miles of Metro Toronto's area.

How to deal with downed electric wires, using fire extinguishers, and report writing. Highway Traffic Act, Mental Health Act. Young Offenders Act. The Children's Protection Act. Crowd control and dealing with lost kids at a festival event.

How to search a person properly. That is a skill, that requires the officer to work slowly, using both hands, starting at the head, and dividing the body into 4 zones. Top of the body, back and front, arms back and front., legs and feet, back and front.

For an Auxiliary training exercise, I hid a total of 9 weapons in and about my body, and challenged the class to find them. The female trainees never found the 32 caliber semi auto pistol I had hidden in my crotch. Same thing for the razor blade I had hidden in my baseball cap. Same thing for the screw driver I had hidden in my cowboy boot. Or the hand cuff key in my wallet. JIMB>
 
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