'Zombie Bill': Should Vancouver have a distracted walking fine? Former city planner says no

In October, acity councillor in Saanichproposed investigating the idea of fines for distracted walking.

Coun.Colin Plant brought the issue of a so-called 'Zombie Bill' to the Capital Regional District (CRD) the regional government for 13 municipalities and three electoral areas on southern Vancouver Island and the nearby Gulf Islands.

"We've have this delicate discussion between wanting to respect pedestrians in intersections and to always see them as so important to protect, but then you hear about people not paying attention and just plowing into the intersection when they're on their phone. Itkind of undermines that," said Plant, the chair of the CRD traffic safety commission.

However, in November when the issue came before a districtmeeting, it was pointed out that distracted walking collisions in Ontario had been on the decline for about 10 years and directors decided not to pursue the idea further, saying it was not currently enough of a priority.

Plant's ideawassparked by a recent private member's bill that was unveiled at the Ontario legislature.The bill would see distracted pedestrians fined up to $50 for crossing the road while using their smart phones.

The "Phones Down, Heads Up Act" isto be introduced by Toronto MPP Yvan Baker, with a debate set for next March.

Honolulu was the first major American city to enact a distracted walking law.Its fines start from $15 and scale up to $100 for repeat offenders.

Not in Vancouver

The City of Vancouver also says it is not considering a distracting walking bylaw at this time. Instead, it said, it is focusing on raising awareness for 'safe and responsible walking practices.'

Former City of Vancouver chief plannerBrent Toderiansaid penalizing pedestrians goes against the municipality's greenest city initiatives.

"It'sa mixed message to then somehow try to punish people for doing the healthy, sustainable, green, affordable thing," said Toderian.

"Car driving has to have the responsibilityofbeing extra careful, in all contexts. Ifit's darkor if it's bad weather, that means you slow down and take extra care. If the intersection is a little tight, you slow down and take extra care.The onus is always on the person driving the object that is deadly," he said.

There have been 15 pedestrian-involved fatalities from 2016 to date.Though, police weren't able to disclose how many cases involved distracted walking.

Previous polls have found that the majority of Canadians support legislation that bans distracted walking.

In July 2016, a Vancouver city councillor publicly voiced his support for a similar ban.

A province-wide ban is unlikely in British Columbia. TheMinistry of Public Safety says local governments have the authority to regulate pedestrian traffic on their own.

With files from Gian-Paolo Mendoza.