Day 8: Ban strollers on public transportation

Between You, Me and the Lamp Post

Day 8: Ban strollers on public transportation

Occasionally you will read a rant on this blog, and today is such a day. One of my pet peeves is strollers on buses. If it were up to me, I would ban them.

While I understand that parents and their children need to get around, during peak hours strollers should not be allowed on a train, bus or streetcar. 

I was on a bus the other day, on my way to the doctor's office, when a woman pushed her stroller onto the bus. The thing was so big it blocked two seating spaces. She didn’t say anything, but she indicated that I and the woman next to me should get up and move. Neither of us gave any indication to do so. Why should we, we had paid for our seats while she had only paid for herself, not for her stroller.

Everyone who came onto the bus after her had to squeeze past her enormous stroller. I secretly hoped that someone would trip and fall over her stroller and sue the TTC. That would teach them a lesson.

Bikes are not allowed on the bus or streetcar, they have to be secured on a contraption in front of the bus.

Why can’t the TTC implement the same rule for strollers?

People who haven’t seen a stroller in a few decades might be surprised in the difference in models between now and then. So, take a look at a stroller 1979 and a stroller of 2019 …

 

People who travel by car and have never taken a bus or streetcar have no idea what a nuisance those things are.

Then there are the kids. Some are way too old to still be in a stroller, others are quite young but have a voice that would stop a train. There was this boy, he couldn’t have been more than a year old with a cellphone, looking at a video. When the mother took it away from him to make a call, he started screaming like he was being murdered. A baby with a cellphone I thought … what is this world coming to?

And believe it or not, it got even worse. In the waiting room of the doctor’s office, I saw a toddler with a tablet. Whatever next … a baby with a laptop!

But back to the annoying strollers. When will the TTC do something about these things? My guess is, we paying passengers, can complain until the cows come home and the TTC will turn a deaf ear. Something will have to happen, to someone who matters, before these damn strollers will be banned on public transportation.

Day 98: A day in the life of a TTC commuter

My Project: 365 Creative Writing Prompts

Day 98: A day in the life of a TTC commuter

What a day, what a day, what a day I had yesterday.

Over the weekend we had two days of freezing rain. If you wonder what freezing rain feels like, let someone take a handful of uncooked rice and from a distance throw it in your face, hard.

Not only does freezing rain feel painful, I also find it painful to look it. I mean really, yesterday it was April 16, but nature looks and feels like it’s January 16. It’s cold, the sky is grey and instead of nature awakening in a variety of color, everything is white. Sorry for the poor quality of the pictures, they were taken from the safety and the warmth of a bedroom window.

Before going out yesterday morning, I wondered what to wear … snow boots or regular boots. “Wear regular boots,” Dieter advised, “if it’s a little slippery you can hold on to me.” A little slippery???

As soon as we left the building where we live, I knew I was in trouble. There was so much melting ice that we either had to trudge through the slush or step into ankle-deep puddles. And that wasn’t even the worst of it, oh no, the worst was yet to come. Once out of the garden, the street was no longer a street but an ice rink. We were no longer walking, but slipping and sliding and desperately trying to stay upright.

Moments later we faced another problem … going down the steps to the train station. I wasn’t sure whether to hold on to Dieter or to let go. After all, if he fell, he would take me with him and vice versa.

To make a long story short, we made it the station in one piece.

More bad luck awaited us though. The trains weren’t running due to a power failure and everyone had to take a shuttle bus to the nearest station where they did have power.

Don’t imagine this as simple. Along with hundreds and hundreds of people, we stood in the cold, in the freezing rain, waiting for a bus. When the third bus came along, we finally got on.

At Victoria Park station we all got off and made our way to the subway station, only to find out that now that station was out of power. So, everybody back outside and back onto the bus. Eventually, at Woodbine, we managed to get on the train.

We arrived at work cold and wet and very late, but we had made it. Lots of others didn’t, they either didn’t bother coming out or ended up in hospital. I can well imagine that quite a few people fell and broke something or their car skidded and hit something. Good business for the doctors, nurses and panel beaters.

Since a picture is worth a thousand words, have a look what we had to deal with.

Don't forget to donate to the Toronto Cat Rescue.

Any amount will make a difference.

www.canadahelps.org/en/pages/toronto-cat-rescue-bowl-a-thon-9/

Day 1: Outside the Window

They say that writers should write every day to become better at their craft. I suppose they’re right, but it’s not always easy thinking of a topic to write about. Which is why I was pleased to find a site with an exercise “365 Creative Writing Prompts. Inspiration & Ideas for Poetry, Writing, Journaling & More.”

Initially, I planned on starting this exercise on January 1^st, but the new year is four months away and I was eager to get started. Next, I thought about starting on September 1^st since that’s only two days away. But then I figured … what the heck, there’s no time like the present, so I’m starting today.

Prompt 1: Outside the Window. What’s the weather outside your window doing right now?

Ah yes, the weather, always a safe and easy topic to talk or write about. Well, let’s see … it’s sunny here in Toronto, but it’s chilly, 21 degrees C (69.8 degrees F).

It’s been a lousy summer. So much so that this summer could go as the coolest and wettest in the history of Toronto summers. I don’t think we’ve hit 30 degrees (86 degrees) once, which ironically suits me just fine. I’m not a fan of the heat. I’m comfortable up to 25 degrees, but anything more than that is too much.

When it gets hot I prefer to stay indoors with the A/C on and a fan if need be. If I do find myself outside, I frequently run into trouble. For instance, we’ll set off on a Saturday morning to go bowling at a temperature that’s nice and warm, but by the time we leave the bowling alley it’s hot as hell. In that case, we have to take a cab home because there’s no way I can walk the long stretch home. For your information, we don’t have a car and as such have to walk wherever we want to go or make use of public transit. Torontonians will know I refer to the TTC (Toronto Transit Commission).

Not that the TTC is the ideal solution. While the trains are air-conditioned (if the air-conditioning works) the subway stations are not. Stations such as Kennedy, Yonge and St. George are much like saunas where one can hardly breathe. Taking the bus or streetcar is even worse. Passengers stand on street corners for who knows how long until the bus or streetcar shows up.

So why am I moaning about our lousy summer when in fact it’s been the perfect summer for me? No idea. Perhaps because our summer has been more like spring, and soon it will be fall. Ouch, what a horrible thought.

www.connymanero.weebly.com

My mistake - John Grisham's fault

We’re all familiar with the saying ‘Be careful what you wish for’, but apparently I also have to mind what I say. Just the other day I mentioned that my eyes are burning after spending a period of time on the computer. Was it perhaps time for an eye exam and new glasses?

No less than 24 hours later disaster struck … I lost my glasses. I could have kicked myself. The glasses were just 2,5 years old, had cost me over $500 and now they were gone.

My own fault really. For years, I used to take my belongings with me in a handbag or a shoulder bag. Recently, when I looked around I saw that more and more people favored a backpack, so I decided to give this a try. I was sold on it from day one. Not only was a backpack more comfortable to carry, there was plenty of room with several pouches for specific items such as comb and lipstick, cell phone, bank cards, and eye glasses.

Unfortunately, it was the eye glasses pouch that tricked me. In a way, I blame it on John Grisham. I was reading his latest book ‘Camino Island’ and I was so engrossed in the story that I didn’t notice that the train had arrived at St. George’s station. I hastily packed away the book, took off my glasses, put them in their case and slipped them in the eye glasses holder of the backpack. Or so I thought.

I must have missed the pouch because when I checked, I noticed that the glasses were not in the appropriate slot. I quickly went back to the station’s platform to see if I perhaps dropped them, but there was nothing there.

Since I’m as blind as a bat without glasses, I would have to organize new ones. Mentally I kicked myself over and over again. Not only do I not have medical insurance, I’m on a limited budget and new glasses were likely to cost me an arm and a leg.

Fortunately, I found an optometrist who could see me the next day and an optician with reasonable prices. Still, I have to wait for my new glasses for about a week and in the meantime, I have to make do with my old glasses. They’re about 5 years old, they don’t really suit my eyes, but they’re better than nothing.

Moral of the story … if I had taken a handbag instead of a backpack and read some boring book instead of John Grisham’s ‘Camino Island’ none of this would have happened. 

www.connymanero.weebly.com

Is it really that simple

Voltaire once said, “I have chosen to be happy because it’s good for my health.” I wonder for how long he managed to keep up that resolution. Were things different in his lifetime? If Voltaire had lived today rather than in the 1700s would he perhaps also occasionally have lost his cool?

I think it’s strange, to begin with, choosing to be happy. Is there anyone who chooses to be unhappy? I imagine that most people get out of bed in the morning resolving to look, feel and do their best.

But no sooner does the day get started and life starts throwing stones at this resolve. There’s no hot water in the shower, a button is missing from a favorite shirt, the milk has gone sour … your good mood is being undermined and you haven’t even left the house.

On the road, there are more experiences to brush you up the wrong way: the highway is a parking lot, cars don’t indicate to turn left or right, or indicate for an ‘eventual turn’, or a car slides into your parking spot.

As the day progresses you get served more aggravation, from superiors, colleagues, and machinery. How are you doing with that “I have chosen to be happy because it’s good for my health” resolution?

I don’t have a car, so I don’t have to deal with highways and parking spaces, as a TTC (Toronto Transit Commission) user, I take the train, bus or streetcar. Not that that is without aggravation.

For instance …

Yesterday I was waiting in the Lawrence East station when I saw a youngster come out of the parole office across the street, walk up to the station and swan through the revolving barrier without paying.

This is the second time I’ve seen this happening. The first time an ex-inmate walked up to the ticket office and said that he’d come to see his parole officer but didn’t have any money for the train for the return journey. The TTC staff member asked him how he’d got to the parole office in the first place. “The same way,” he said. “They just let me through.” The staff member waved that he could proceed, without paying.

While that guy at least had the decency to ask if he could go through, the youngster I saw yesterday afternoon had no such manners. Without the slightest hesitation, he just walked in, indicating that this wasn’t the first time he was allowed on the train without paying.

Now that ticks me off. On average two million people take the TTC each day. The majority uses this form of transportation to get to and from work, but there are others who use the train for different reasons. Some are on their way to an interview, others have to go see a doctor, dentist or other medical professional. Others still have appointments at a hospital for life-saving treatment. All of these people, whether they are young or old, rich or poor, employed or unemployed, have to pay. But ex-inmates do not?!

If I was the kind of person to make resolutions, my “I have chosen to be happy because it’s good for my health” decision would go right out the window. I do not choose to be unhappy, nobody does, but life with all its complications and injustices just makes my blood boil.

What was that Mr. Voltaire …

www.connymanero.weebly.com

The perils of public transportation

Don’t let me ever hear someone complaining about the price of gas. Whether the price is $1, $2 or even $3 a liter, be glad to pay it because it means you have a car.

Personally I don’t have a car and have to rely on public transportation to take me wherever I want to go.

Usually, this is not a problem. To go downtown I take the subway and I quite enjoy the ride. It gives me plenty of time to read without any interruptions.

Yesterday, however, I didn’t enjoy taking public transportation at all. I would even go as far as to say it was and experience straight from hell.

Continue reading at: http://connymanero.weebly.com/blog

TTC driver in possession of drugs

In Canada you can do just about anything you like, as long as you don’t smoke regular cigarettes.

If you’re a smoker, prepared to be hated, but if you’re an alcoholic or a drug user, that’s okay, you can even bring your booze and drugs to work.

You have the full backing of the Ontario government and union.  Three years ago random alcohol and drug testing for TTC drivers was suggested, but the politicians vetoed this request. 

Earlier this week a TTC bus driver hit a crane, leaving one woman dead and 18 people injured.  When police examined the scene of the accident, they found drugs in the driver’s bag.

When last have you heard that it’s allowed to bring drugs to work?  It would be bad enough for office or factory workers to pack a lunch, a drink and some marijuana on the side, but bus drivers!  It’s an accident waiting for a place to happen, and it did.

For more details, please visit: http://www.torontosun.com/2011/09/02/ttc-reviews-its-impaired-testing-policy

TTC - The Better Way

Officially the Toronto Transit Commission is known as the TTC. Users of this type of transportation have another name for the TTC though ... Toronto Trash Cans.
The TTC’s slogan is ‘The Better Way’ but this week the subway was most certainly not the better way.

When I boarded a subway train last Wednesday, I heard the announcement that there was no service between Broadview station and St. George station.
I didn’t worry about this no-service too much, confident that by the time I got to Broadview the problem, whatever it was, would be fixed. I was wrong.
When I got to Broadview all passengers were instructed to leave the train as the train would turn back to Kennedy.

Some 300 people exited the train and joined the hundreds who already stood shivering on the Broadview platform.
After a while came the announcement that shuttle buses and streetcars would take passengers to their destination.
As another train arrived more people joined the throng of commuters already on the platform, shuffling toward the stairs. Seeing them go by, dressed in dark gear and keeping their heads down, they reminded me of the march of the penguins.

I had no intention of joining them. Cold as it was in the station, it would be even colder outside. The weather forecast had predicted -20 deg C (that’s -4 deg F) for that day and that was just a bit too cold for me.
Usually, if the TTC has a problem, it doesn’t take too long for whatever it is to be sorted out, so I preferred to wait inside. That wasn’t possible this time though. A TTC official walked the length of the platform informing everyone who, like me, had decided to wait it out, that it could take hours for the problem to be fixed.
Okay so I joined the ‘penguins’ and proceeded up the stairs too.

Ooh but it was cold. Even with a thick coat, a scarf wrapped around my head and gloves I could feel the cold wind going right through me, biting at my nose, fingers and toes. Where were the shuttle buses? Where were the streetcars? Oh they were there alright, but they were packed with people, like sardines in a can.
I got the idea of taking a cab to work. A good idea, except there was a problem ... there weren’t that many cabs available to begin with and with over a thousand people standing around Broadview station, I wasn’t alone who had thought of that.

Just then an announcement was made that the subway was up and running again and we could all go downstairs. Even though the words were greeted with relief, they presented a problem ... it would take some time for the mass of commuters to go back inside the station, down the stairs and onto a train. I suspected that it would take several trains to take care of this lot.
I was right, after we shuffled our way back onto the platform, trains - already full with peak hour passengers – had limited space to take in the waiting crowd.
Or let me put it this way ... my journey to work, which usually takes 45 minutes, that day took two and a half hours.

The TTC, the better way? I think not.