Pretty much everyone and their dog has something to say about the TTC strike. Torontonians are mad. Some were stranded after a night of partying, others stuck for the weekend in whatever remote place they live in the city, plans canceled because there's no way to get to where they need to go. Some resent the broken promise of a 48-hour notice; others are just plain resentful.
Now, I've had my moments of pure anger at public transit, of course, but I consider myself pretty levelheaded about it. I mean, let me put it this way: I need their services, and as long as they continue to provide that service, however flawed, at a lower economic and environmental cost than owning a car, then it is a service I will continue using because I really don't have any other choice.
Yes, I'm already aware of the facts on both sides of the support/hate arguments. I understand the anger and frustration of riders who pay higher and higher fares for what appears to be turning into slower and less comfortable service. But I also have an inkling, as someone who has worked with the public, of the shit drivers, ticket collectors and other workers probably have to deal with on a regular basis.
Admittedly, they don't do the same kind of work that other workers like police, firefighters, EMT workers, teachers, librarians and other unionized workers do, but let's face it, unless you've worked for the TTC yourself, you can't fully understand what they have to put up with regularly. And that only gets the snowball of resentment and frustration rolling down the hill towards violence a lot faster.
Guys, anger doesn't solve anything. And neither will boycotting what is an essential service in a large metropolitan city like Toronto.
Let's respect unions for what they do: they exist so that the workers are not abused by the agencies that employ them. They are there to (hopefully) represent the wider interests of the people in the union. But that doesn't mean every single driver is an asshole. It doesn't mean that the kid behind the ticket collection booth voted to turn down the contract because he thought he deserved more money. Yesterday, sixty-five percent of TTC workers voted to strike: that means 1 in 3 voted not to.
We don't need angry people stomping around exacerbating the situation by spitting on anyone in a maroon uniform. We don't need more frustrated riders on the commute muttering and yelling and developing what I can only term "bus rage." We don't need bus drivers fearing for their lives and safety and jeopardizing service overall. And we certainly don't need more drivers on the road making the overall situation even worse.
We need public transit. Moreover, we need better public transit. And we need to start opening up honest, useful communication between the riders who use public transit and the people who run it so that we can actually solve what is amounting to a crisis in our growing city. What will service be like in five years? Ten? Will we ever get more subway lines? What will a project like this cost?
The only way to open up the floor to discussion is to actually open it up.
Think the ticket collector is useless? Then write a letter asking why we don't replace them with machines or an automated fare system.
Think the platforms are overcrowded? Then write a letter asking for expansion.
Think your train is too slow? Then write a letter asking why we haven't dug more subway tunnels.
We need answers, not anger. And the only way we can get an explanation is if we ask for it. No spin, no PR. It's time to put all the differences aside and simply ask a forward moving question: Why can't we have better public transit in Canada's largest city?
My friends, let's move forward and ask hard questions. Let's work to meet the needs of the people without bringing in prejudices and resentment and accusations and finger-pointing.
We need public transit, and they need us. It's time we worked together.
2 comments:
I agree that violence will not solve anything. If anything, I sympathize with the TTC workers who will have to suffer the public's hostility thanks to union leader, Bob Kinnear's stupid decision to cut service suddenly on Friday night.
However, as outlined in my blog, I think there is a systematic apathy in the TTC towards how riders feel. Transit activists like the ones at Spacing Magazine have made positive suggestions on improving the TTC that have mostly fallen on deaf ears. If passengers are increasingly frustrated and lashing out, it is because they feel that they cannot make a difference in a bad situation.
What you suggest is like saying if you experience terrible service at a retail store, you should write a letter of complaint that also helpfully suggests what could be done better. I think it is asking alot of customers to expect them to brainstorm with management for solutions to a problem that they do not fully understand. Also, if store management choose to ignore customer complaints, they risk losing income, but the TTC knows that many riders cannot choose not to patronize the TTC so they risk nothing by not improving. Lastly, as mentioned above, the TTC are not really taking suggestions anyways.
It will take some strong leadership at the TTC to envision and execute what needs to be improved in infrastructure and in the standard of service that is expected of TTC employees.
The TTC management has a voice and the TTC union has a voice. Honestly, I feel that TTC patrons need a lobby group to voice their needs as well.
Such a group could help bitter transit riders channel their efforts into more constructive solutions... or at the very least, a unified voice to air their complaints.
Umm... how does one start a lobby group?
Post a Comment