moses choi

I hate the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC). The TTC, also known as the “Red Rocket” for its ancient streetcars is okay at best and completely unreliable at worst, but mediocre on average. Its service is so unreliable that many people would tell you that the TTC actually stands for “Take The Car”. As I used to work at City Hall with the former chairman of the TTC, I am aware of the constraints that the TTC operates under, I understand the financial problems that the service encounters so I don’t want to blame the city only for this mediocre service. I think it’s a systemic problem with a lack of concerted effort by the entire Canadian governmental system to innovate and fund public transporation.  It is also a problem with bureaucratic paper pushing and political squabbling that leads to nothing being accomplished or built.

Last week, on my way to work on the subway, the entire trip took twice as long as usual.  The train went at halfspeed and during the entire trip, I was fuming.  I was muttering obscenities under my breath and sharing exasperated looks with my neighbours.  The stop-and-go traffic underground was ridiculous because people usually take the subway to avoid the morning rush, but I guess it just goes to show that one should indeed Take The Car. Another thing that drives me nuts is when the subway stops at a station and kicks everyone off to go back in the other direction. These things always seem to happen when you’re in a rush or really tired and looking forward to going home. When I read stories of bus drivers being assaulted, subway drivers being threatened, or people throwing bricks through the windshield of a bus, I completely understand why people would do such things. I’ve thought of doing those very things too.

Just recently, the TTC and the government announced some changes to the current system. The proposal was to build a LRT that criss-crosses the city. Hopefully this LRT is a step up from the Scarborough RT, because the RT is a loud out-of-date system that would drive people mad with its 100+ decibel noise levels. This proposal is good because it allows for dedicated transit that is free from problems associated with automobile traffic. It is also a cost-efficient way to transport people in areas of lower population and to stimulate population growth. Once the population is large enough to justify and sustain the construction of actual subways, a network of LRTs may be sufficient, given it’s built quickly and sensibly. However, I somehow doubt it’s going to be built quickly and sensibly…

I think the solution to the issues at hand are: increased funding by all levels of government to public transportation, a concerted effort to make mass public transportation an issue of national priority, more automation to reduce the number of personnel employed and to increase efficiency, and to get rid of the paper tickets. I wish change would happen more quickly and more efficiently. Perhaps one Torontonians can have a transit system that is reliable, fast and well thought out.