Toronto, Moving Forward or Falling Behind

Photo by Enrique Diaz. More of his photos here.

In rain, snow or shine, my commuting preference in Toronto is to bike or walk. I never understood why I would choose to cram into a streetcar for 45 minutes with 100 others carrying wet umbrellas when I can walk for 30 minutes and cover more distance? But, my bike has been put away not by choice, and I’m now subjected to taking Toronto’s public transportation on a daily basis.

Since February 23, the Queen Streetcar has been the bain of my existence. An article in the National Post describes Toronto’s streetcar service as the most iconic feature of Toronto’s transit system, but now, its weakest link. Having been aware of the service problems of the Queen streetcar, firsthand experience has now proved this point to be true. For instance, a recent post Waiting for the 501 by Dylan Reid, in Spacing Wire, cleverly tells a story of the commuter’s struggle.

Last night, I considered myself fortunate not to have to wait for the 501 as it pulled up just as I got to the streetcar stop. Brilliant! I would be home in less than half an hour. We chugged westbound slowly along Queen street but no sooner had I plugged my Ipod into my ears did I hear a horn blast loudly. This was soon followed by an announcement, “Sorry folks, we won’t be going anywhere. There’s a car parked too far out because of the snowbank and I’ll smash his bumper if we continue”. The commotion started as the driver proceeded to call for help, passengers debated whether to stay on or get off, and the airwave cluttered with the increase use of mobile phones to report the delay to loved ones waiting at home. Thankfully, we were on our way again twenty minutes later.

I quickly zoned back out to Glen Hassard on my Ipod, only to realize that the flashing indicator lights of the streetcar were flashing again, just three blocks later. I looked at the girl next to me who responded with two words, “parked truck”. So ridiculous, we could only break out in laughter.

Sometimes the infrastructure of Toronto whether it is in relation to urban planning, city maintenance or the TTC transport system amazes me. This is Canada. It snows here. When this weather phenomenon happens in Toronto, the city’s transportation and parking infrastructure falters easily. Is the fact that while enroute, a streetcar driver has to constantly get out of his seat to chip ice away from the tracks a sign of a failing transit system that is simply not made for this country? Is the fact that snow is removed from the roads and piled onto the cycling lanes an indication of the poor cultural mentality towards cyclists? Vehicles require parking, cyclists must be able to commute, public transportation needs to continue running. The negative impact on the functionality of Toronto’s transportation system, resulting so easily from the domino effect due to snow accumulation, is truly an embarrassment for a city that considers itself a leading edge and internationally renowned.

This winter has recorded the most snowfall in Ontario since 1947. With the evolving climate, change in Toronto’s planning and transportation system is eminent. Known as one of the top five poorest richest cities in the world, can Toronto keep up?