- 注册
- 2002-10-07
- 消息
- 402,192
- 荣誉分数
- 76
- 声望点数
- 0
Mayor Jim Watson condemned Ottawa’s protesting taxi drivers, saying he is fed up with their behaviour and that they are no longer welcome at his City Hall office.
Watson called Tuesday’s blockades on the Airport Parkway in which several passing taxis were attacked “reckless” and “dangerous.”
“That kind of behaviour is not acceptable. I’ve told the union that until they stop these kinds of tactics, I’m not going to meet with them,” Watson told reporters Wednesday. “I’m fed up, the public is fed up and I’m not going to reward bad behaviour by having them come to my office.”
Police confirmed Wednesday that they have opened seven investigations into Tuesday’s events, most of them related to the blockade on the parkway at the Uplands Drive overpass.
The drivers blocked the parkway for about three hours Tuesday morning, then returned during the Tuesday afternoon rush hour to block the roadway again. A video posted on YouTube shows drivers attacking several cabs that slowed for the protest and tried to pass on the shoulders. Jeering cabbies chased several cabs, swinging sticks and throwing picket signs at them.
A passenger in one of the cabs attacked, a businessman from New Brunswick, told the CBC he was showered with glass when the protesters used a metal bar to smash out the window of his Blue Line cab.
Watson said he has seen the video and was “very, very disappointed” by the cabbies’ actions.
Related
It’s up to the taxi drivers’ union, Watson said, to send a message that “attacking other cabs and putting people in danger is not acceptable behaviour in our city.”
Things were calmer Wednesday, with about 70 to 80 cabs parked along both shoulders of the parkway just outside the airport boundary. Drivers shouted and jeered at taxis that had picked up fares at the airport, but, according to police, had made no attempts to interfere with traffic flow.
Most, but not all, of the seven police investigations are related to the parkway blockade, said Insp. John Medeiros of Ottawa police. No one was injured in the incidents.
Investigators will review all the evidence before deciding whether to lay charges, he said.
Police took a cautious approach to Tuesday’s demonstration, blocking the parkway at either end of the bridge and rerouting traffic down to Uplands Drive to bypass the protesters, which numbered around 100.
“The protesters have a right under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms to protest. We also have a duty to protect public safety and keep the peace,” Medeiros said. “Our goal is always to come up with a peaceful resolution.”
Tuesday’s protest slowed traffic to and from the airport, but did not affect airport operations.
Police have allowed protests and demonstrations to block roadways before, Medeiros said, but he would not say how long police will tolerate future disruptions.
“We’ve been there since Day 1,” he said. “As things begin to develop, we adjust. We either cut back our resources or bring more resources in.”
Travellers to the airport should be prepared for some delays, he said.
“There’s always an inconvenience to members of the public when demonstrations cut into the roadway so we always strike a balance. Expect delays. Plan for it. Give yourself a little bit of extra time.”
bcrawford@ottawacitizen.com
mpearson@ottawacitizen.com
查看原文...
Watson called Tuesday’s blockades on the Airport Parkway in which several passing taxis were attacked “reckless” and “dangerous.”
“That kind of behaviour is not acceptable. I’ve told the union that until they stop these kinds of tactics, I’m not going to meet with them,” Watson told reporters Wednesday. “I’m fed up, the public is fed up and I’m not going to reward bad behaviour by having them come to my office.”
Police confirmed Wednesday that they have opened seven investigations into Tuesday’s events, most of them related to the blockade on the parkway at the Uplands Drive overpass.
The drivers blocked the parkway for about three hours Tuesday morning, then returned during the Tuesday afternoon rush hour to block the roadway again. A video posted on YouTube shows drivers attacking several cabs that slowed for the protest and tried to pass on the shoulders. Jeering cabbies chased several cabs, swinging sticks and throwing picket signs at them.
A passenger in one of the cabs attacked, a businessman from New Brunswick, told the CBC he was showered with glass when the protesters used a metal bar to smash out the window of his Blue Line cab.
Watson said he has seen the video and was “very, very disappointed” by the cabbies’ actions.
Related
- Taxi drivers: An issue in need of a PR plan
- Airport taxi dispute turns violent during blockade of Airport Parkway
It’s up to the taxi drivers’ union, Watson said, to send a message that “attacking other cabs and putting people in danger is not acceptable behaviour in our city.”
Things were calmer Wednesday, with about 70 to 80 cabs parked along both shoulders of the parkway just outside the airport boundary. Drivers shouted and jeered at taxis that had picked up fares at the airport, but, according to police, had made no attempts to interfere with traffic flow.
Most, but not all, of the seven police investigations are related to the parkway blockade, said Insp. John Medeiros of Ottawa police. No one was injured in the incidents.
Investigators will review all the evidence before deciding whether to lay charges, he said.
Police took a cautious approach to Tuesday’s demonstration, blocking the parkway at either end of the bridge and rerouting traffic down to Uplands Drive to bypass the protesters, which numbered around 100.
“The protesters have a right under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms to protest. We also have a duty to protect public safety and keep the peace,” Medeiros said. “Our goal is always to come up with a peaceful resolution.”
Tuesday’s protest slowed traffic to and from the airport, but did not affect airport operations.
Police have allowed protests and demonstrations to block roadways before, Medeiros said, but he would not say how long police will tolerate future disruptions.
“We’ve been there since Day 1,” he said. “As things begin to develop, we adjust. We either cut back our resources or bring more resources in.”
Travellers to the airport should be prepared for some delays, he said.
“There’s always an inconvenience to members of the public when demonstrations cut into the roadway so we always strike a balance. Expect delays. Plan for it. Give yourself a little bit of extra time.”
bcrawford@ottawacitizen.com
mpearson@ottawacitizen.com
查看原文...
