Nine pedestrians were hit by cars Monday morning, and the police responded by advising people to wear light-coloured clothing.

This is a sign not just that the force has failed miserably to keep the streets of Toronto safe for pedestrians, but also that it has no real interest in doing so.

Under Chief Bill Blair, the police have proved utterly inadequate to the task of protecting pedestrians’ right to walk through the city without taking their lives into their hands every time they cross a road.

“We’re not saying pedestrians actually did anything wrong,” a police spokesperson told the Star yesterday, “but wearing the dark clothing makes you less conspicuous to other road users.”

Last Nov. 1 was another bad day for pedestrians; two were killed and six injured in Toronto and York Region.

Just last week, three pedestrians were struck on the sidewalk at Yonge and Eglinton.

It doesn’t help that daylight is getting shorter. Much of the rush hour, morning and evening, now happens in darkness.

The accidents occurred downtown, where streets tend to be narrow and pedestrians numerous. They also occurred in suburban areas where streets tend to be wider, cars faster and pedestrians fewer in number.

But in every case, the police attitude is that these victims are collateral damage of a system designed and run for drivers. They regret it, of course, but then sigh heavily as if it were inevitable.

And to a large extent, it is.

The truth is that in Toronto pedestrians would be safer if they wore light-coloured clothing. But if all seven were crossing legally, why should the colour of their clothing make a difference?

A similar argument was made to Toronto women last year, when an officer advised them not to dress like “sluts.”

In both cases, the deep thinkers on the force must have realized that both statements revealed the police don’t have a clue about what to do, beyond warning victims to be more careful.

Besides, from a police point of view, seven pedestrian injuries was nothing unusual. That’s how many there are every day in the city. What made Monday exceptional was that it took only 45 minutes to reach the daily average.

In January 2010, when seven pedestrians were killed in seven days, police responded by cracking down on jay-walkers at Front and Bay, once again revealing their contempt.

Yet when measures are suggested — lowering speed limits or introducing more scramble intersections — city hall responds with derision. Like the cops, our mayor would rather keep pedestrians out of the way than inconvenience vehicular traffic.

Even when pedestrians aren’t to blame, they are responsible; that’s what the police are actually saying. The victims should have known better. They should’ve looked both ways, made eye contact with the driver, worn bright colours, waited till the sun came up, not crossed … .

Next thing, Blair will propose new rules requiring authorized pedestrian wear, complete with reflective vests, orange coats, toques with warning lights attached … or maybe fences along major roads to stop people from crossing.

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The police, in their dark blue uniforms, might also have to make a few adjustments. But don’t count on that; Toronto’s is not a police force to let institutional ignorance get in the way of organizational policy.

And after decades of designing streets for cars, planners, traffic engineers and the whole motley crew of municipal officialdom could afford to take a look at what it’s done to the city. Each department ensconced within its silo, oblivious of context, fails to see the forest for the trees, or in this case, Torontonians for the traffic.

Christopher Hume can be reached at chume@thestar.ca

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