The Day of the Whiner

The Whiner Nation has returned to the comments field of The Toronto Star today with a vengeance and a half, and their topic of grief is once more the state of the TTC.

And what set them off? It's a bit of a double-whammy this time; first the fares were increased to cover the cost of the operation, so effective January 1 2010 single rides will cost $3 for a cash fare, and Metropass users, like myself, will pay $139 a month. I don't think anyone should really be surprised when the price of anything goes up in this day and age. But really - the price of car insurance has gone up exponentially, and the price of gasoline will never go less than 90 cents a litre again, so the TTC Metropass is still the better deal if you have the option. I got rid of my car 3 years ago when I moved into downtown Toronto because I simply didn't need it anymore, and it was going to end up costing me way too much. Insurance alone was around $100 a month, and gasoline was at about $160, plus regular wear and tear. With the costs of these going up and up, I still think $139 is a cost-saver, even if it will take a bit of getting used to when I fork over the money. The great unwashed who moan about how bad the service is have a pretty flimsy argument when the best they can say is people pee in bus shelters or they get delayed in tunnels. Well, yes, people have peed in bus shelters but there's no budget for a TTC employee to stand in each one and make sure nobody does it. I rather think that's up to the police to deal with when they see it happening. And delayed in tunnels. Well let me think - the last few times I have been stuck in tunnels on trains it's been because someone has yanked a passenger assistance alarm and brought everything to a halt. So the Whiner Nation would rather that safety feature be removed so that they can get on with their important lives faster?

The real ire-raiser today, though, was the TTC having the sheer gall to stop running subway trains between Bloor and Eglinton during rush hour because a construction accident made a section of the tunnel around St Clair Avenue unstable. Hang on a sec... and this is the TTC's fault? From what I understand the TTC managed to mobilize a fleet of shuttle buses to move all the people that would normally be on the subway trains, but buses hold 60 people and subways carry 1600, so it's not going to be a perfect solution. But it's all still the TTCs fault according to the Whiner Nation. And look at the distance that had to be covered. Bloor to Eglinton. That's not far. It wasn't raining or snowing today - in fact if someone were to walk that stretch they might actually get some much needed exercise. I myself walk from Davisville to Dundas once a week because I want to be somewhere before the subway is running and I choose not to pile onto a crowded bus down Yonge Street. And oft times I have walked home from work which is at 1 Yonge Street, and it takes me just over an hour to get home. I believe it probably took longer to stand in line and bitch and wait for a bus than it would take to walk to Eglinton Avenue to get a train there.

Mind you, if people were proactive or sensible about these things, there'd be nothing to whine about would there?

That is all.