I really don’t like writing about transit so much, but they had a town hall this week…
Yes, it’s another election year, and it seems that city council is aware again that there’s a problem with transit. Do I sound cynical? Of course! This column for the last 15 months has been a reliquary of hopes and nightmares of transit in this town.
But, admittedly, I think this was a sincere effort this past Tuesday at City Hall. Mayor Cam Guthrie led the proceedings, and by my count, about half of city council was there to lend support to the 100 or so people that came downtown to offer their two cents.
Will anything come of it? That’s the big question, and when we hear councillors talk about taking the concerns of their constituents to transit staff and getting no answers, there’s not a very high level of expectation of results.
We, the media elite, have covered much of what was said at the town hall already, but I would like to add a few things of my own.
First, as we all aim on clamping down on distracted driving in personal cars, we have to do the same on buses.
Much was said at the meeting about the friendliness of Guelph Transit drivers, but I think there are times they are too friendly. Some riders, even some fellow transit workers, sometimes stand at the front of the bus talking to the driver as they go about their route. Right there under a sign that says, “Please don’t talk to the driver while the bus is in motion.”
I’ve seen this before on too many times to count: a driver talks to a friend at the front of the bus, which causes them to miss a stop, or a pick-up, or slow the journey down enough to make the bus late. I’ve also seen these people get in the way as others try to enter or exit the bus, especially a full bus where there’s already not much room to maneuver.
The first and most important question about transit going forward is what kind of system do we want? Do we want to take a pleasant drive around the city with our friends, with no worries about whether we get to where we’re going on time, or do we want a commuter service that gets us from point A to point B baring infrequent, unforeseeable complications?
And that doesn’t mean traffic, but traffic is part of the problem.
I’ve been noticing more and more the impatience of drivers who go around bus while it’s stopped to pick up or drop off passengers. On the busier streets, particularly the ones with only two lanes, cars keep going around the bus, which prevents it from getting back out on to the road and on its way.
Plus, and not to put too fine a point on this, I’ve seen a couple of near misses that could have resulted in accidents, which, aside from making a bus late, might have resulted in some very serious personal injury, or, you now, death.
Transit riders, you’ve got some room to improve too. A little situational awareness would go a long way at times when someone with a walker or a stroller gets on the bus expecting to use the accessibility seats at the front only to find two able-bodied people quite comfortable in the finery and not willing to move.
Also, and one woman alluded to this at the town hall, but your bag does not need its own seat, and the back of the bus isn’t the backdoor. There’s still about half-a-bus past the door you can use.
Last week, before the town hall, there was an announcement about more money from all levels of government for transit improvements. More buses! New shelters! Improved tech for fare boxes and signal prioritization! But you know what would help the problem right now that’s not really talked about? More drivers!
Why are so many routes dropped? Not enough drivers.
Why is overtime so costly for Transit? Not enough drivers available who can just be paid base.
This not a Guelph problem either. For some strange reason, numerous transit systems in our area are struggling to find drivers. If you search “bus driver” on Indeed.ca right now, you get over 500 hits.
In so much as we hear complaints about overpaid city workers in protected union jobs, isn’t it strange that no one seems to want one while they’re up for the taking?
Perhaps the answer to that question will come out in the explorations of service review, but instead of waiting for that magical review let’s keep awareness by keeping the conversation going. I’d hate to think we’ll have to wait four years for a follow-up.
