By David Topping

One of the most interesting features of the TTC’s survey was its cover: a bunch of Torontonians contemplating what the TTC meant to them. The sentiment was nice, but the imaginary riders’ responses ranged from downright ridiculous (the woman on the right) to irrelevant (the guy in the middle) to simply curious (the woman on the left). So, for our re-done survey, we decided to ask everyone to finish the sentence themselves: “My TTC Is…”
Here are just a small curated (but entirely unedited) sampling of the 1435 responses we got to that question. As you might expect, the responses weren’t much like those the TTC set forward; the ones we received were both more hopeful, more optimistic, and more positive on one end; and far more negative, more nihilistic, and more pessimistic on the other. (Oh, and the only person who mentioned their boss did so because they were always getting yelled at by them for being late because of the TTC.)

The Bad

• dying.
• being destroyed.
• a decrepit, dirty anachronism
• kind of heart-breaking.
• shit
• hurtin’
• lacking in awesomeness.
• slowly disappearing.
• sucky.
• downtown-centric, hopelessly unconcerned about most of the rest of the Toronto, and shamefully contemptuous about the inner 905.
• out of order
• sadly starting to disappoint me.
• rudderless.
• an embarassment to my City, a constant source of irritation, unreliable, surly, archaic and frustrating.
• Shitty, unimaginative and uninspiring. It’s an embarrassment.
• a tarnished symbol of what Toronto could and ought to be.
• not world-class.
• not enough
• unacceptable
• a political football.
• holding Toronto back in its quest to be a truly great city.
• A blind (and very dirty and rude) fool stumbling about with all of the answers right in front of them.
• currently being treated like a expendable service and that makes me sad.
• 25 years behind where it should be (In terms of route expansion and hours of service)
• very expensive, very under-funded, and very optimistic of the future of its services despite all signs pointing elsewhere.
• going out of service at the next stop, so everyone will need to cram double-tight into the next one in 15 minutes.
• dissapearing
• Archaic, insufficient, uncaring, hostile, backward, out of touch, arrogant and all I’ve got!

The Ambivalent

• like an old favourite t-shirt – neglected and worn out but comfortable and familiar.
• not what it used to be.
• my car. My car I’m happy to share with thousands of others (just not all at the same time on one subway car, like this morning.)
• the better way…most of the time.
• a necessary evil.
• okay, but could be so much better.
• a neglected beauty, a missed opportunity, capable of transforming a great city into something greater. If only a few brave men stepped up and took a risk, she could change _everything_.
• operated well, managed indifferently, and funded poorly.
• a bit like a fixer-upper. It has good bones and was built on the right idea, but needs work and improvement to make it work for today’s Toronto.
• the most amazing transit system in North America, saddled by the most inept and/or apathetic parent governments imaginable.
• gradually being phased out by My Bicycle due to constant overcrowding on the Spadina streetcar… but I still love the system.
• the canary in the coal mine of urban development.
• an unrequited love.

The Good

• worth fighting for.
• life
• an occasional wind beneath my wings.
• a leader in transportation reflecting the world class city that it operates in.
• everyone’s TTC.
• one of my favorite things about living in Toronto.
• linking the city, not dividing it
• Freedom. Without the TTC I couldn’t get to work, visit my family and friends or enjoy all that Toronto has to offer.
• undervalued by too many people.
• in need of some love.
• Toronto.
• needed.
• there when I need it.
• something to be proud of
• essential!
• full of potential.
• getting to work, getting to school, getting to explore.
• the best way to get around the city
• saving my life.
• a clean, safe transit system which I can rely on 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
• what makes Toronto great.
• here for me.
• the reason I didn’t get my drivers license until I was 28.
• …the cardiovascular system of the city.
• accessible — physically, economically, and socially — to all citizens of Toronto.
• my pal who gives me a ride everyday.
• still the better way.

All photos by Erinn Cunningham (a.k.a. spotmaticfanatic in our Flickr Pool). Top “My TTC Is…” image from the TTC’s poster.