If you ever feel bad about the *Big Brother* mentality in America...

[RiceRocketGal]

Just look to our neighbors to the north... and you won't feel so bad anymore..

Woman fined for riding escalator without holding handrail

Updated: Sat May. 16 2009 6:23:01 PM

ctvmontreal.ca

A woman is outraged after she was handcuffed and ticketed for not holding the handrail on an escalator at the Montmorency metro station.

Bela Kosoian, a 38-year-old UQAM international law student, said she was on her way to class Wednesday, when she was stopped by Laval police.

"I was looking for money to buy metro tickets," said Kosoian.

Laval police Const. Nathalie Lorrain told CTV Montreal's Daniele Hamamdjian that Kosoian became aggressive when she was asked to hold the handrail.

"When they told her to be careful, she turned around and she started screaming at them, telling them she wouldn't use the rail," said Lorrain.

Lorrain added Kosoian was repeatedly warned that she would be given a ticket if she continued to resist holding onto the handrail.

"The police officers told me she probably had a bad day. She jumped in their faces right away," Lorrain said.

Kosoian countered it was never made clear that she was breaking any rules.

"They didn't tell me anything," she said.

When they reached the bottom of the escalator, she was taken into a detention room.

"I was always with handcuffs -- like a prisoner, like a criminal," said Kososian.

She was fined $420 -- $100 for not holding the banister, and $320 for obstruction.

STM bylaw

There are stickers posted on the escalators at metro stations indicating that commuters must hold the handrail.

An STM bylaw states: "It is forbidden for all persons to disobey a directive or a pictogram posted by the Société."

But the STM said Kosoian is the first person to be ticketed for riding the escalator without holding the rail.

Kosoian said she intends to fight the fines.

[DJ Raijin]

I love it when people in America are like "Why can't we be more like Canada?"

[480sx]

I love it when people in America are like "Why can't we be more like Canada?"

That expression has graced my ears so many times.

I suppose i should address the OP if i am to join in a thread. The lady got what she was asking for. If your going to ignore a simple request by an officer and yell at them in response to it, you deserve whats coming to you. Pick your battles.

/Thread
Modified by 480sx at 6:40 PM 5/21/2009

[RiceRocketGal]

I dunno... I mean to me... I guess the issue is that it is illegal not to hold a handrail. Officers can enforce the law but they can't ticket you for things that aren't illegal. If they "request" that you change a behavior that is not in violation of the law they have overstepped the boundaries of their authority and you have every right not to follow their instructions or to tell them to take a hike even.

The issue is that, in Canada, the officer was within realm of their authority to tell the lady she had to hold a freaking hand rail on an escalator. In the USA, if a cop approached me on a mall escalator and said "Hold the handrail"... I'd say... thanks for the input but I'm a big girl. Go ticket people for jaywalking or something.

I think it's bad enough that we have to pay for amber alert boards to be used to threaten us with fines if we don't buckle the seat belt in a car we are paying for. For the cop to hang out over your shoulder telling you things like "Hold the hand rail" under threat of legal penalties if you don't comply... I mean what's next...

"Tie your shoelace or face legal action."

"$500.00 fine for failure to look both ways before crossing the street"

"Say excuse me... it's not just polite... it's the law."

I mean do we really need law enforcement playing that kind of role in our lives? Apparently the Canadian government thinks Canada does.

[4cefed]

Welcome to the police state.

One little step at a time.

[themadscientist]

Canadians make great bacon. The trick is sneaking up on them so they don't see it coming. I don't like to taste fear in my bacon.

[HashiriyaS14]

I love it when people in America are like "Why can't we be more like Canada?"

Canada has two things going for it that I think are good ideas:

-Marijuana is generally legal, or at least decriminalized

-That whole "JDM car" thing

Other than that, meh. Girls seem unusually hot though, at least in Toronto.

[S13_love]

"$500.00 fine for failure to look both ways before crossing the street"

I kinda wished, in some way, this was true....so many f***ing stupids pedestrians out there. Here where i live, this town really loves to enforce the whole "pedestrians have the right of way" deal. With that said, i see so many people abuse that... they are in their own little world, blatenly crossing the street w/o even considering to look, thinking that the cars will always stop for them.

Edit: Ugh, i think i may have worded that second sentence a little weird.

[themadscientist]

I don't stop for douchebags driving nikes. Cross at the corner, when you get the little walkin dude light or it's open season on your a**. I've sent more than a few people diving for the sidewalk. I have swerved towards people and put them flat on their a**. I asked one if he wanted me to back up and take another shot at him, he didn't seem keen on that. I stay off the sidewalk, they stay out of the road or they become a statistic.

[RiceRocketGal]

I kinda wished, in some way, this was true....so many f***ing stupids pedestrians out there. Here where i live, this town really loves to enforce the whole "pedestrians have the right of way" deal. With that said, i see so many people abuse that... they are in their own little world, blatenly crossing the street w/o even considering to look, thinking that the cars will always stop for them.

Edit: Ugh, i think i may have worded that second sentence a little weird.

Ya pedestrians have the right of way in parking lots and on cross walks when the light is red... otherwise they need to follow the "who is the biggest" unwritten law just like the rest of us.

Semis don't challenge trains... I don't challenge semi's in my Sentra... motorcycles don't challenge me... bicycles don't challenge motorcycles... and pedestrians need to stay out of the way of all of the above on the roads.

If they don't like being at the bottom of the travel chain... get a hover-round.

[dusred]

Ya pedestrians have the right of way in parking lots and on cross walks when the light is red...

Not true.

You can't legally run somebody over because they are in the road.

The reason I know this is because that is the one question I missed on my drivers license test. In the test handbook it says "Pedestrians have the right of way on crosswalks marked or unmarked" and on the test it says "When do Pedestrians have the right of way?

A. Crosswalks marked or unmarkedB. Pedestrians always have the right of way (I don't remember if that's exactly what it said but it gets the point across)C. Never"

Obviously I chose A and I was wrong. The lady at the MVD said it was wrong cause pedestrians always have the right of way. . . "you can't run them over just because they are in the street" she said. . . I was like "Damn! Why not? ".

Just thought I would point that out.