Can we all agree that the TTC is just a poorly run organization? I think that’s a fair comment – not even a mean-spirited one. $106 million short-falls – even after ridership increases in the last few years – are clear indications that someone’s not doing their job well.
But as frustrated I am with the TTC’s constantly bad service, expensive price-tag and disgusting riding conditions, it’s symptomatic of a city that is failing on so many levels.
Photo courtesy of flipkeat
When I was younger and growing up in the suburbs, we looked at Toronto like Rome. It was an exotic destination that we found any excuse to visit. A few years back I was lucky enough to move here and was a little put off. It was meeting your favourite musician and finding out he’s kind of a dick. You still love the music but some of that shine has worn off.
I started to see that everything costs money – to the point of being petty and punitive. Toronto had a sneaky way of tacking extras on to almost everything. The price of something in the 905 was always more expensive downtown (including a cup a coffee).
I had the most ridiculous run-ins with parking bylaw enforcement and finally hit my breaking point when I was issued a $100 ticket for failing to have a horn on my bicycle (it should be noted that this isn’t a municipal law, but it was a Metro cop and it’s my blog). It was all too much and instead of loving all the amazing burroughs and personalities of the city, I was just frustrated with it.
There’s a long list of problems in this city and each one of them seems to come with a price. We pour money into things like the land transfer tax, failed green-bin programs, the TTC and see little to no improvement. As far as things like technology, identity and unity go, this city is failing miserably.
I know it still has some amazing attractions, and trust me – I’m still enamoured with Toronto – there’s nowhere I’d rather live. But when I think of what it could be and all the potential it has I get sad. I get sad because I don’t see us moving anywhere near it. The people in charge just never seem to get it right.
Maybe that’s the problem. Maybe we’re waiting around for someone else to fix it instead of taking the first steps ourselves. Now I just wonder what those first steps are.
