August 27, 2007
TTC Service Cuts: Great Fiasco, Or The Greatest Fiasco?
Reader Cy Goldsbie (yes, relation) sent us the above photos of a box that popped up in St. Clair station over the weekend. Marked "DEPOSIT PUBLIC CONSULTATION SURVEY HERE," the box is at the "end of the southbound platform tucked into the alcove of the non-working elevator." (In other words, they're about as conspicuous as what Joe Clark calls the TTC's "intentionally hidden online complaints form.")
So what's the deal?
At the TTC's emergency meeting on July 20, commissioners were surprised to learn that sometime after the last round of route cuts (in 1996, due to Mike Harris terminating the province's contribution to operating costs), the Commission put in place a policy that prohibits further elimination of routes without prior public consultation. So Chair Adam Giambrone made a motion that staff, the Chair, and the Vice Chair of the TTC conduct public consultations and prepare an interim report on "the reduction or elimination of the poorest-performing bus routes" and the Sheppard line, as well as on the potential (and very likely) fare increase. Giambrone's motion also instructed that local councillors be notified of consultations taking place in their wards—presumably so that they can, in theory, be held accountable by constituents for deferring the land transfer and vehicle ownership taxes.
Well, according to a TTC press release, that consultation begins today:
Beginning Monday, August 27, for two weeks, the TTC will ask Torontonians what kind of TTC they want—for today and for the future. There will be a survey online and in brochures on buses, streetcars, and subways. The survey brochure will also be handed out at stations, malls and at Humber College and University of Toronto, Scarborough Campus. [...] The printed survey in the brochure can be mailed back to the TTC, faxed back or dropped into boxes at any TTC station. The survey can be printed from the website in five languages: Chinese, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish and Tamil and returned to the TTC in the same ways as the printed brochure survey.You can click here to read the official spiel about the TTC's woes and other background information, or you can just skip straight to the survey.
Here's our favourite question:
6. The TTC is facing significant financial pressures. What do you feel is the best way for the TTC to deal with the funding gap? (Select all that apply)While the first option is certainly the most palatable (unless you're one of these hypocrites), it's curious that the TTC isn't using this opportunity to gather statistics to show that the vast majority of Torontonians would like the provincial and federal governments to chip in on operating costs, rather than just digging us fancy new tunnels to nowhere when we can't even afford to crawl through the ones we have now.
- Have the City of Toronto raise taxes to provide additional funding
- Raise fares
- Reduce service
Photos by Cy Goldsbie.
|
Have a look at the first page of the paper form. Does that look like an important document to you, that could shape the fate of the TTC, or just the usual "TTC rulez" publicity fluff? Looks like fluff to me!
1. It seems to me that that option goes without saying. In what circumstance would one not tick a box that's effectively marked "somebody else should pay for it"?
2. This survey is about what the TTC and the city can do to keep the lights on if the money doesn't come.
In either case, you can mention that "senior" levels of government should be chipping in when you get to the 400-word comments box. I certainly did.
Gotta love Question 4:
"If TTC was forced to cut services on the TTC route(s) that you currently use, would you? (Select only one):
* Drive
* Ride with someone else
* Continue to use the TTC"
Cycling isn't even an option. And the survey server rejects input unless the question is answered.
Pathetic. A ninth grader could do better.
Interesting in that Q4 & 5 the only option to not riding the TTC are car-based alternatives. It is obvious the people who made the survey are car drivers and not TTC users - people who are not familiar with modes of transport used by a large prportion of the population downtown: cycling and walking.
And it frustrates me no end that I must tick one of the boxes to have my voice heard.
they don't have "cycling and walking" because such options are not useful for the survey.
clearly the survey is designed so that people will say "yes, I'll drive instead" which is a politically unpalatable answer for the provincial government.
if people said "I'd walk" or "I'd cycle" then everyone would say "great, go ahead! that's great for the environment too!"
but when the only option is more cars, funding/service cuts to transit look evil.
And, really, walking? Biking, I'll buy. Skateboarding, I'll buy. But who takes transit walking distance and would be deterred by a fare increase?
I should mention that on the subway, it is extremely difficult to tell that the paper forms are surveys at all unless you rip one off and open it up.
Are we all really surprised that something from the TTC is shady and piss-poorly done? I mean, isn't this par for the course?
How hard is it to organize a coup? Anyone?
Every time I see that photo again, I laugh. The box looks so lonely and scared. "Please don't put any surveys in me! Hug me, corner of the wall!"
One of the things about raising taxes to support the system is that, like roads, it doesn't affect 905ers who are not insignificant users of the TTC system and whose rides are thereby subsidised by 416 taxes to perhaps 20% (assuming cost recovery of 75-80%). Perhaps we should have a two tier metropass price - one for people who can prove a 416 address, and one for those who can't.
My response was exactly the same as the guest who made comment #4. I guess we've got to fill out a paper copy with a big "N/A" beside questions 4 & 5.
Response to Ericsmith: I would and therefore others would too because I'm not unique. I used to walk over 4km (roughly 45 minutes) each way between work and home each day and started doing so around the time of a fare increase. Some thought I was crazy, especially in the winter. To me it was an easy commute and I much preferred the space, solitude and quiet of a walk rather than crowding on a subway (Yonge line) and then a streetcar (King street). Living downtown, I walk as much as possible even though now I CAN afford to ride the subway more than I could during the days of the 4.2km commute.
We're not necessarily talking about taking the subway one stop here, except maybe where subway stops are far apart.
I agree with the comments re: poorly designed survey. It may seem that putting together a questionaire is a simple task it is far from being so.
This one does not account for other, viable, options like the aforementioned walking, or pressuring the fed/provincial gov or seeking efficiencies in operating costs, etc, etc.
It was either flawed because of someone's lack of training and experience or for a more nefarious reason such as proving an already chosen point....
There is always room for improvement of services and finding efficiencies in any organization (labor cost is usually suspect). Some quick options might be to trim management, increase partime employees while reducting fulltime employees (to cover slit shits).
Any raising of taxes, increase in fare and decreasing of service should not be the first and only suggestion. All the listed suggestion only affects those (the lower income individuals) that could least afford and be most impacted.
The survey does not let you select none of the above. Comments field limited to 40 words which does not leave enough space to enter suggestions. I found this survey to be NOT scientific but more to manipulate the public with misleading questions and limited response options.
Hi,
I made a little map of the proposed service changes, for the more visually minded.
Here it is.
It doesn't look good. Not at all.
- Ian
Ian, that map is really fantastic––I've written a separate post for it.
The survey is rather poorly constructed but I'm going to give the TTC credit on two fronts.
First, the content on the page about the financial crisis is the best attempt at communicating the position the City is in from the City to residents thus far (including the Mayor's attempt at an open letter).
Second, when I got to the top of the escalator at Eglinton West Station, a TTC employee was there to give me the survey and take it back after it was completed. So although the box in St. Clair Station looks absolutely pathetic, if the TTC is committed to getting its employees to work the crowds then they'll be doing far better than if the boxes were in an optimal location.
In the interests of public service, I'm going to offer the TTC a revised question that should answer all of the concerns that have been raised on the various local blogs:
6. How should the TTC resolve its fiscal situation?
* New taxes
* Service cuts
* I'm a self-righteous bike owner, what do I care? If I can pedal from Steeles to Front so can anybody
* Find $500 million in as-yet-undiscovered efficiencies through cutting down on overtime, reducing management, reopening the collective agreement and getting the unions to agree to a massive pay cut, and a magic pony that poops gold
* Sell the entire operation to the people who run the 407, because nobody ever complains about that
* Replace "quarter per swear" jar with "penny per HTML error" jar (see response to #8 for suggestions for $25-trillion jar surplus)
* Cancel Front Street Extension, buy time machine, use it to make Front Street Extension have never existed
* Poke David Miller with a knife! Eight dollars a jab, but all profits after the first $250,000 are taxable!
* Reassign TTC capital budget to moving everyone to Barcelona, did you know that in the time it took to read this sentence they added another four thousand kilometers of bike lanes and a new subway line
* Fare hike
I agree with the comments regarding the absence of cycling and walking on the survey - I can typically get anywhere faster by bike or foot than cars/TTC in this city. Service cuts and fare increases continue to push those who live and work in the city to alternatives (that aren't listed). I remember back when I did take the subways to work in the AM - the cars would be jam packed before they even reached Bloor - why subject yourself to that?
Hah! Nice list, #17. I'll have to bookmark that. But you may have overlooked one rather popular suggestion:
*Cancel all TTC capital projects like new streetcars, buses, trashcans and doorstops, since it's common-sense knowledge that the TTC runs off of one single huge pot of money
Torontoist will have something bigger about this soon. Stay tuned...
Another poster mentioned the 40 word limit in #7, and the lack of choices in #6. If you wanted peoples opinion, wouldn't you want more than 40 words? Must be Sun readers.
It flabbergasts me that the TTC considers this a "survey" - it is a "joke". They are basically saying "We don't have the balls or the brains to cut costs where they count, and that is payroll; we think Toronto residents are literally too stupid to see this, so shut up and take it like a man"
I don't know what annoys me more - the fact that over half of my property taxes go to a service that I rarely use; or the fact that because I choose to ride my motorbike/car I am vilified by the public servants to who's' paycheck I contribute.
Bad money after bad. The Toronto way.
What bothers me is that this whole thing was purposely done. In June the provincial government makes a huge announcement, 17.5 billion in public transit expansion/improvements in the GTA. I don't doubt for a moment that this is a political move by the City, period. There is a provincial on Oct 10 and these massive services cuts are announced about three months before. Since the TTC board has councillors on it, this is their way of getting the money they want. The City is full of waste and it's the City's fault that they are in this mess. The Mayor is basically in bed with the unions and refuses to do something about the waste that lies within the Toronto public sector. Plus, the councillors had no problem with giving themselves raises, yet they have a huge shortfall. Dalton McGuinty said that the City of Toronto is a mature level of government and capable of finding solutions to it's own problems. I tend to agree with him. The City of Toronto Act gives Toronto more power and they abuse it by proposing new taxes on hard working families.
I agree that the withdraw of funding by the province in 1995 has made it difficult for the TTC and it would be right to return funding to the operating budget. But, I would propose that it be direct funding and not to the City to transfer. This way you are sure that the money goes to the TTC. Look at GO Transit, they seem to do quite well with the sudsidies they get from the province, instead of the GTSB, which was a joke.
I figured that I would write my local MPP ask what his feelings were. His office contacted the MTO and here is what was sent to me:
"We are getting transit back on track by making the largest investment in public transit in Canadian history.
On June 15, 2007, we committed $11.5 billion to support the $17.5 billion Move Ontario 2020 plan.
For Toronto that could mean:
o Extension of the Yonge Subway line north to Highway 7;
o Completion of the Toronto Transit City Light Rail Transit (LRT) plan, which would see nine new LRT lines across the City;
§ Expansion of service on all GO rail lines into Union Station, and new Crosstown, Havelock and Seaton lines;
§ Pearson Air- Rail Link to Union Station;
§ GO Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) connector from Renforth to York University and Langstaff, on Highway 427 and on Markham Road;GO Bus Rapid Transit on 427 and Markham Road.
Since October 2003, we’ve committed over $1.8 billion to help the City of Toronto improve and expand transit since October 2003. Here’s how we are doing it:
GAS TAX: Delivered on our platform commitment. This year’s (Oct. ’06 – Sept. ’07) provincial gas tax contribution of $161 million.
SUBWAY INVESTMENT: $402 million for Toronto’s portion of the $670 million for the Toronto-York subway extension.
Move Ontario 2020: $11.5 billion to support the $17.5 billion plan, resulting in 902 kilometres of new or improved rapid transit lines, including:
§ Extension of the Yonge Street subway line to Highway 7;
§ TTC’s vision for light rail across Toronto.
2007 BUDGET: Province provided Toronto with $529.3 million in funding. This includes:
§ $222.6 million in unconditional funding which can be used for public transit capital
§ $306.7 million in unconditional funding which can be used for transit projects, which was under the former Canada Strategic Infrastructure Fund (CSIF) and Golden Horseshoe Transit Investment Partnerships (GTIP) programs.
2006 BUDGET: Province provided Toronto with significant one-time budgetary assistance to off-set multi-year expenses, including:
§ $200 million one-time transit investment for 2006/2007 TTC expenses and $150 million to help fund replacement and refurbishment of TTC vehicles.
We are committed to providing a long term, sustainable source of funding for the TTC"