TTC…The Better Way for the 2015 Pan American Games?

“In the years following World War II, Canada’s Queen City was in a position to develop the greatest subway in the world. It failed, but the result has still been a very acceptable-and in some ways excellent-underground rapid transit system. That Toronto failed was simply a matter of poor planning.” – Stan Fischler, Subways of the World

To sum up the above quote, Toronto once had a chance at achieving subway greatness but ultimately botched their opportunity through poor planning (a fact cleverly parodied in an episode of Murdoch Mysteries that aired earlier this year). Now, the city will play host to the 2015 Pan American Games in little more than three years, and instead of making the necessary improvements to their overall service, such as completing an unfinished subway line (four stops for the last decade) and building an underground streetcar line, the TTC (Toronto’s public transit operator) is busy increasing their fare an extra 10 or 15-cents…just to avoid reducing bus and streetcar service in the New Year (there wasn’t enough of them on some routes to begin with). Alas, history appears poised to repeat itself in 2015.

All of these “fare hikes” that the TTC enjoys bestowing upon their riders on a constant basis would make sense if the extra charge actually went towards improving their service or completing the aforementioned subway and streetcar lines, but nothing ever changes. Subway trains are constantly delayed due to “signal problems” and often taken out of service due to “mechanical difficulties”, which occurs daily and often during peak hours. In extreme cases of this, such as reports of smoke, shuttle buses are brought in to ferry passengers the rest of their way, which is the equivalent of stuffing rush hour crowds into tiny sardine cans. This is because the current line of wheelchair-accessible buses (the older fleets were FAR superior) are poorly designed with a lack of poles to hold onto and seats, in addition to a narrow second level that can only accommodate those standing in single-file.

Despite these bus design flaws, the oblivious drivers keep shouting at passengers to “move back!” when there’s clearly no more space to do so (picture Tetris when you’re about to get a “Game Over”, only the game doesn’t end). That’s the usual situation on modern TTC buses when service is normal, so imagine what it’s like when they’re replacing the much larger subways. It’s such a hellish scenario, that I actually prefer walking the hour or so to my destinations when these dreaded shuttle buses are announced. When the trains are actually running properly, they often make a horrid ear-piercing SCREECHING sound while pulling in and out of stations, which is akin to hearing a tiger scratch a chalkboard amplified by a hundred (you think your ears are going to start bleeding). Sometimes, the screeching is so excruciating that I actually have to clasp my hands over my ears and grit my teeth in agony.

On top of all that, the conditions in the subway stations themselves are often of Third World calibre, with garbage strewn everywhere, graffiti scribbled throughout, sticky floors, leaky ceilings that drip large puddles onto the narrow subway platforms (potential safety hazards), mice visibly running around on the tracks, out-of-service escalators and/or elevators (a nightmare scenario for elderly or disabled passengers), and washrooms that are so filthy and vile it’s almost better to soil yourself than risk your health using them. They’re seriously like something out of a horror movie (Warning: avoid the following paragraph if you’re squeamish, as it’s quite graphic).

You step into these “washrooms” (more like ground-level sewers) and are often greeted with overflowing urinals surrounded by large pools of urine, unflushed toilets with fecal matter smeared on the seats and stall walls, and at times even chunks of vomit coating the sinks. The stench of all these bodily fluids mixed together hits you like a ton of bricks upon entry and is so nauseating that you’re required to hold your breath until you exit. In addition, there’s usually a complete lack of soap, toilet paper, and/or working dryers, so it helps to go in prepared with a bottle of hand sanitizer and some napkins if you simply can’t wait to find a washroom elsewhere.

All of the above makes me seriously question what the TTC actually spends the extra fare hike money on. It surely isn’t going towards improving their service. In addition to regularly raising their fares, the TTC also charges riders for station parking, which was once complimentary with the purchase of a $120.00+ Metro Pass. They honestly can’t afford to keep their washrooms clean or subway trains running properly with all that money? What about the aforementioned subway and underground streetcar lines that need to be completed?

The population of Toronto grows larger each year, and things will definitely become even more congested when tourists and journalists arrive for the Pan American Games. If the TTC wishes to avoid embarrassment in 2015 (think back to the 2010 Commonwealth Games in India), they’d best get started on addressing and rectifying all of these issues ASAP. In fact, the only positive change that I’ve seen from the TTC in quite awhile was the introduction of their new high-tech subway trains earlier this year, which unfortunately also tend to fall victim to the same “mechanical difficulties” that plague their rusty predecessors (I sure hope they come packed with a warranty). In all fairness, I acknowledge that there’s been a lack of funding from the various government levels (municipal, provincial, and federal) in recent years, but what’s the TTC’s excuse for not expanding their subway system when they had the money to do so?

Perhaps the TTC could seek advice from GO Transit (the commuter rail and bus provider for the GTA and its neighbouring cities), which maintains cleaner stations and washrooms, continues to offer complimentary parking to their riders, and suffers from far less delays to their trains (when such delays do occur, GO reimburses their riders’ ticket cost). While GO charges by distance travelled, as opposed to the TTC’s single lump sum for their entire service, and makes a lot more money as a result of this, maybe the TTC could look into other options for income, such as selling naming rights to their stations to potential advertisers? Sure, it may sound cheesy getting off at “McDonald’s Station”, but if it improves service and leads to the construction of new subway lines (and hopefully redesigned wheelchair-accessible buses that actually work) without the need to eat away at riders’ wallets, then why not?

In closing, while work on the new subway and underground streetcar lines probably won’t be completed until many years after the closing ceremony of the Pan American Games, the TTC can still improve all other facets of their service by the opening ceremony and should make every effort to do so. Namely, getting their trains running properly, putting an end to that God-awful screeching sound, and keeping their stations and washrooms safe and sanitary. No more negative talk of service cuts and fare hikes. It’s time to step up to bat and hit a home run or two.

The various government levels should also get involved and offer any aid they have available. They all jointly funded the new subway trains (a fact pointed out by tiny monitors aboard them), after all. They should spare a little extra funding if possible, because unlike Toronto’s previous failed opportunity to build the greatest subway system in the world, it won’t only be the city’s and TTC’s reputations on the line come 2015, but all of Canada’s. None of the above improvements should be too difficult to achieve, and will ensure the Pan American Games (and city in general) will run smoothly. They say that those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it. Hopefully, the TTC has already learned from their past mistakes. The world won’t end in 2012, but their reputation just might in 2015.

The Better Way?