Good morning, Readers!
Found this one on wallpaperfm.com.
So, Ottawa's new light rail is a disaster. Of the four days its been running thus far, three of them have had significant problems resulting in terrible conditions for commuters. This morning, I watched four packed trains pass through the station, from a completely packed platform, unable to get on.
The fifth train, I managed to squeeze on. Squishing against people and poles in an effort to make myself smaller so that more people could get on and not be late for their connections. In the train, I heard people talk about what a stupid idea the train was.
Here's the thing. The train was not a stupid idea. Ottawa desperately needed a light rail. However, the whole thing was so poorly planned that it's become a monster. Forcing people onto the LRT, when they were better served by local bus routes, and then getting rid of a tonne of routes, even those that the LRT doesn't serve efficiently, is what is causing all these problems; the over-crowding, the delays, the commuters so frustrated that they're abandoning public transit for cars and causing traffic problems. Some people have added as much as an hour and half to their commute because of the changes that have taken place.
I am absolutely certain that whomever is responsible for these changes is not a public transit user, and had no idea as to the volume of and time used by those who rely on public transit. I am also absolutely certain that come the winter, things are going to get so much worse.
For the record, I'm going to be getting my license because I am absolutely done with paying through the nose for public transit that is as terrible as it is. I will have to put up with it for a couple of years, and perhaps by then enough people would have abandoned the public transit system that it's no longer that bad, or bus routes are returned and some of the problems are eased. I will have to take classes, which are expensive, but the freedom from the terrible transit system is looking more and more worth that price.
It's a shame, really. The LRT was and is a great idea. The service planning, however, is a complete disaster. Fire the person responsible for taking away so many routes, and bring back at least some of those buses. That's all I have to say.
Now I'm going to go and do some more French lesson thingies on Duolingo.
Ciao!
The fifth train, I managed to squeeze on. Squishing against people and poles in an effort to make myself smaller so that more people could get on and not be late for their connections. In the train, I heard people talk about what a stupid idea the train was.
Here's the thing. The train was not a stupid idea. Ottawa desperately needed a light rail. However, the whole thing was so poorly planned that it's become a monster. Forcing people onto the LRT, when they were better served by local bus routes, and then getting rid of a tonne of routes, even those that the LRT doesn't serve efficiently, is what is causing all these problems; the over-crowding, the delays, the commuters so frustrated that they're abandoning public transit for cars and causing traffic problems. Some people have added as much as an hour and half to their commute because of the changes that have taken place.
I am absolutely certain that whomever is responsible for these changes is not a public transit user, and had no idea as to the volume of and time used by those who rely on public transit. I am also absolutely certain that come the winter, things are going to get so much worse.
For the record, I'm going to be getting my license because I am absolutely done with paying through the nose for public transit that is as terrible as it is. I will have to put up with it for a couple of years, and perhaps by then enough people would have abandoned the public transit system that it's no longer that bad, or bus routes are returned and some of the problems are eased. I will have to take classes, which are expensive, but the freedom from the terrible transit system is looking more and more worth that price.
It's a shame, really. The LRT was and is a great idea. The service planning, however, is a complete disaster. Fire the person responsible for taking away so many routes, and bring back at least some of those buses. That's all I have to say.
Now I'm going to go and do some more French lesson thingies on Duolingo.
Ciao!
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