Another cause for RAAAAARRRGGGGHH!!!!

Now, as much as I like Ray and understand where he's coming from (and that he's saying this all in relative jest), his beef with the TTC is mostly unjustified.

Dude, like, you gotta lay off the TTC workers. I'm kinda miffed that I have to taxi to work on Monday too, but it's not the bus driver's fault. They work under a union and it doesn't really represent the wishes of each individual TTC worker.

Think of the teachers' union: if we kicked teachers in the head everytime they proposed strike actions because they want a little time for prep, my sister, who is often opposed to striking, would get a big boot to the noggin'. That, and no one would be around to watch the brats between 9 and 4. And The Fonz says that ain't cool.

(end address to Ray. Begin address to the masses.)

We can't blame TTC worker for their grievances. Think about all the shit they have to put up with every day: dumbass customers who don't know where they're going, a large sundry assortment of crazies, people throwing themselves in front of the trains, punk-ass kids who frequently forget their student pass, aging buses and streetcars, working 12-hour days and on holidays and weekends, tracks that desperately need repair, an administration that makes them all look like idiots by investing in stupid ideas like the Sheppard Subway line, and so forth.

Yeah, sure, you can say all you want about a secure, cushy job sitting on your duff all day, and you can argue like many do that the points of contention are "all about money". But the people who are getting paid "well" in our eyes are the people who often have to put up with tons of shit. What would happen if we only paid TTC workers $30K a year? How well do you think the system would run then, with massive turnover and even more unfriendly workers who couldn't give a rat's ass if you got off at the right stop?

Over the past 25 years, the TTC has only gone on strike for a total of 10 days. That's 10 days out of 9,125. That's 1.09% of 25 years, for all you mathmaniacs out there. And I gotta say, 99.9% of time in service ain't too shabby.

There's no one place we can lay the blame. The TTC has had to endure funding cuts along with a decreasing ridership. People say they hate the TTC because it's crowded, it's late, it's not reliable, etc. Well why the hell do you think that is? Let's break it down, shall we?

Not enough money = (less funding for mechanics who fix buses + less money for drivers & other TTC workers) = fewer buses on the roads = less frequent service and more delays as stupid people jam into subway doors as they're closing = more angry people = fewer riders and more drivers on the road = more traffic congestion (= more air polluition) = even more TTC delays as buses try to get into traffic (that's why they have a by-law that gives buses the right of way, but no one seems to be heeding it) = MORE angry customer = fewer riders and less funding for the TTC = Not enough money = ...you get the idea.

Public transportation is vital to so many aspects of urban living. It's one of the only means of long-distance travelling for the lower class (like me!), it cuts down on pollution with fewer vehicles on the road, it keeps taxes down by decreasing traffic on high-maintenance roadways which cost millions to repair every year... do I have to get Suzuki on y'all now? Pollution causes asthma, which taxes our health system. Oxygen-making, air-cleaning green space is being paved over for parking lots and space-wasting suburbs. Gas prices are soaring because there's less and less of it every day. Cars that wouldn't be on the road except for the fact that the drivers "don't like public transit" run over kitties and puppies and sometime kids.... I could go on forever.

So what am I supposed to do? Cram into the subway and leave my SUV at home? Or, heaven forbid, bike or walk?

YES, you moron! You may have to endure standing next to someone who doesn't smell as pleasant as you do, but the discomfort you'll feel when you're 60 and breathing with a ventilator that you paid a fortune for because every day's a smog day will be much, much worse.

And if you think privatizing the transit system will make things better, decrease fares and so forth, well, I might just point to privatizing Hydro as a stunning example of stupidity.

So my message for today is this: forgo that drive to whereever the hell it was you were headed, and take the transit, bike, or walk. Don't accept offers for drives down to the store unless the driver was headed that way anyhow. If you have to take your car out, do everything you possibly can to make the most out of your mileage. And for good measure, don't leave your car stalling.