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Street Racing Kills Couple?, Port Authority Ads Piss Off Mayor, T.O. Volunteers Head to Indonesia

By Ron Nurwisah, Boy Reporter

All the news outlets are talking about the TTC strike but lots of other things happened on the weekend.
A couple was killed in a bad traffic accident on Saturday night. Police suspect street racing as a possible cause.
Leslie Scrivener of the Star writes a nice synopsis of the city’s cycling culture. The story includes decent photos of scantily clad cyclists…. HOT.
2006_5_29port.jpgMayor Miller is pissed off at ads that the Port Authority is running telling residents what the agency does for the city. We wholeheartedly back the mayor on this. As far as we can tell, all the Port Authority does is act as a nice little pork barrel project for local Liberals, stifle the city’s efforts to redevelop the waterfront and keep the threat of the island airport hanging over our heads. Put that in the ads.
Louise Russo, the mother who was made a paraplegic by a stray bullet, is getting a west end park named after her.
The City has its 25th murder victim. A body was found near Lawrence Ave. East and Scarborough Golf Club Road.
Finally, Toronto volunteers are heading to quake-ravaged Indonesia.The Red Cross will also be taking donations.

Comments

  • Eli Jones

    Torontonians have just had the most unpleasant Monday morning surprise when the union representing the Toronto Transit Commission’s (TTC) 8000 workers decided to do a’Wild-Cat’ Illegal Strike.
    While many residents were taken aback Monday morning when the buses, subways and streetcars were not running. It nevertheless an outrage that Local 113 of the Amalgamated Transit Union can hold the city hostage when it bargains with the city. The two-day strike of April 1999 inconvenienced 3.3 million riders, while the eight-day strike of 1991 created so much chaos that even the union-friendly NDP government of the day was ready to enact back-to-work legislation.
    A union-management battle that has been brewing for months over several issues including driver security, health premiums, job evaluations and shifting for employees who do track maintenance and cleaning for the TTC.
    In spite of the self-congratulatory TTC propaganda one finds plastered throughout the subway, public transit in Toronto is a mess. Thanks to a withdrawal of steady provincial funding, the system has 10% fewer buses – and 20% fewer streetcars – today than 15 years ago, and requires $300 million a year to keep its aging fleet in a state of good repair.
    The city subsidizes the TTC with over $240 million in tax revenues every year. Numerous fare hikes and decreased service have taken a toll on ridership, which fell from a high of 465 million a year at the end of the 1980s to 372 million in 1996, although levels have risen since, especially with the introduction of weekly passes, and high gas prices.
    Toronto’s buses and subway cars are frequently overcrowded even outside of rush hour periods . The city came up with a Transit Growth Strategy that it seems to have forgotten about. As well, many grumble that their friendly bus driver often isn’t very friendly. Of the 16,773 complaints lodged against the TTC in 2004, 6206 dealt with driver behaviour. Interestingly, the TTC acknowledged it was at fault for over 65% of complaints.
    Supporters of public transportation argue with some justification the TTC is underfunded and merely needs more financial resources. It sounds nice until you realize that neither the province nor the city has any extra cash lying around, and that throwing money at government monopolies is a questionable strategy.
    As is getting the province to declare the TTC an essential service, subject to binding arbitration. While such a move would prevent future strikes, it would also be a recipe for ever-expanding costs, and it would leave public transit in the hands of a monopoly. If some drivers can get away with being surly to passengers, it is because they are protected by a union, and the TTC is the only mass transit system in town.
    Instead, Toronto could follow the examples of London England, Las Vegas, San Diego, Stockholm, Copenhagen, and other cities in privatizing – or just partially privatizing – its transit system. In the years since private bus service arrived in London, ridership increased, waiting times fell, and fares were reduced relative to inflation. Ridership rose by 300% in Las Vegas after its entire system was privatized, while cost per vehicle hour dropped by 33%.
    If a total privatization seems too radical, imagine if the TTC leased out its busy arterial bus routes to a private operator, and concentrated instead upon the subway system and out-of-the-way bus routes. The city could beef up service, earn millions in leasing fees, and ensure that business wouldn’t grind to a halt in the event of a strike like Monday.
    Such an option is of course unthinkable under Toronto’s current Mayor and left-wing Council. Still, breaking the TTC’s monopoly over public transit – as well as the union’s ability to shut down the city – would indeed be a “better way” for Toronto commuters.