From the buses

At the end of June, Durham Regional Transit started a new service called “Pulse”, offering a direct service from downtown Oshawa to the University of Toronto’s Scarborough Campus.  I’ve used this service several times and am always struck by the number of radio reports from drivers reporting a late trip.  On one occasion, the bus I was on reported being five minutes late after having travelled three blocks.  The reason was a large number of passengers at that third stop.

It occurs to me that if so many late trips are happening, the problem isn’t the drivers, but the schedule.  I have long suspected that those who plan schedules have never driven anything larger than a Honda Civic and have never ridden a bus or they would realize buses don’t handle or respond the way that Civic does.  I also suspect that if they’ve actually driven that route, it was in their Civic at three in the morning when there is very little traffic.  It seems the one thing those who plan these bus schedules fail to do is talk with the drivers – those whom they are trying to schedule.  Nah, couldn’t do that because it might set a precedent.

I had occasion to use this route today and as usual I noticed that most passengers pay very little attention to things such as route and destination signs.  The destination sign (the one on the front of the bus) clearly states “Highway 2 to U of T Scarborough”.  Seems clear enough, doesn’t it?  The coach travels along Highway 2, ending at the University of Toronto in Scarborough.  Why then do people insist upon asking if the bus goes to Scarborough Town Centre, a large shopping centre several miles beyond U of T?

Another thing I’ll never understand is this: People usually arrive at a bus stop with several minutes to wait for the coach to arrive.  Wouldn’t you think it a good idea to use those few minutes to get your fare out of your wallet, or get your pass out before you board the bus?  Rarely happens.  Usually people stand at the farebox and fish through their wallets or pockets looking for the correct change, or they search through their pockets or purses looking for their pass.  C’mon people.  Show a little initiative and have that stuff ready before the driver opens the door for you.  It won’t hurt to try it and it might make the difference between getting a seat and standing.

Enjoy your day and remember to hug an artist – we need love too.

Cat

What’s going on?

What is happening with politicians in and around Toronto the past two days?

There is a report, confirmed by the person themself, that a Toronto City Councillor was charged with impaired driving last night.  She won’t make any further comment on advice of her lawyer.  Mayor Rob Ford has said that these things happen.  Of course this is the same Rob Fordwho, years ago in Florida was stopped and found to have a joint in the car.  And, being Robbie, he denied it until a reporter produced the police report, then he suddenly “remembered” it.

In Whitby, east of Toronto, a man reported to be a former city councillor from Oshawa, has barricaded himself in a building in an industrial area and has threatened to “blow his head off”. This has been going on since about 1:45 this morning (it is 6:20 pm as I write this).  There are several odd twists to this other than a man barricading himself inside a building.  According to reports, this ex-councillor abducted the current Oshawa solicitor as he arrived at his home following a meeting of Oshawa City Council.  The solicitor managed to escape while being driven around Oshawa and advised police.  Somehow the police tracked the ex-councillor to an autobody shop in an industrial area of Whitby and that is where the situation stands.  From the news footage from a helicopter, there are cruisers from Durham Region surrounding the shop, an ambulance and fire vehicle on standby, and York Region Police sent their “war wagon” down to Whitby as well.  I’ll update this when it ends and we learn why it happened in the first place.

And finally, yesterday Dalton McGuinty, the Premier of Ontario, stepped down.  This was totally unexpected by most people, including the reporters who cover Queen’s Park.  Not only is he stepping down, he has taken the unusual step of proroguing the legislature.  That act has probably caused more upset than his resigning.  That act means that nothing will get done until Dalton’s replacement has been chosen and sworn in. Proroguing the legislature doesn’t dissolve the session, it merely puts it on hold.  Considering the number of problems Dalton and the boys were having, naturally the opposition wants the legislature to keep on working.  As a resident of Ontario, I too want the business of the province to continue to be dealt with, rather than wait six months for the new Premier to take office.

Is all this political nonsense the result of something in the air?  I’d suggest the water, but Oshawa and Toronto have separate water supplies.  Unless of course someone put something in Lake Ontario.  If that’s the case, I’ll expect more weirdness from cities and towns downstream.

Enjoy your day and remember to hug an artist – we need love too.  And please say a prayer for the Canadian Border Services Agency guard shot at Peace Arch in B C this afternoon.  **Update: 6:55 pm. A female border guard was shot in the neck on the Canadian side of the border.  The suspect then shot himself in the head.**

Cat.