There are about
10,000 surface transit stops in the TTC system, and occasionally
some are moved, whether a few meters away or across an intersection.
Readers wrote me about two stops that were moved abruptly in recent
months, both inconveniencing riders.
Javeria Anjum
of Scarborough described how in November the TTC shifted a 100
Flemingdon Park bus stop on Wynford Drive farther away from Don
Mills Road. Anjum, who has since bought a car, wrote “We (the
passengers) are now left with a greater chance of missing the 100
bus if you are transferring from 25 Don Mills bus ... and with NO
Shelter in this cruel weather.”
The TTC’s Gary
Carr reports that advance notice was put up about the change, and
that the stop had to be moved because car drivers were cutting in
front of buses to access new stores near this busy corner.
Why is the
shelter still so far away? Carr says the City of Toronto is
responsible for building shelters and concrete waiting pads. He says
TTC planners prefer to wait until city crews have prepared new stop
waiting areas, but it’s not always possible.
David Goulet of
Toronto wrote about a recent change of the 42 Cummer bus at Victoria
Park Avenue. “A few months ago, due to 'safety' concerns, the 42
ceased stopping here ... apparently the stop is too close to the
intersection and there is not enough space for the bus to get back
into the turn lane for the turn north.
“TTC has since
set up a new stop on the northwest side of Vic Park, allowing the 42
to make its northern turn and then let off passengers. This seems a
reasonable solution except for one important point: there is an
eight to ten foot gap of grass between the road and the sidewalk.
Fortunately we had little snow to contend with this winter --
otherwise we'd have been trudging through a snowbank to reach the
sidewalk. But now with the spring weather and the rain we are facing
mud, mud, mud and pooled water.”
Carr responds
that these “are two of those situations where we --and it’s a
judgment call -- take a look at a concern that we’ve received, and
we aren’t comfortable leaving the stop where it is until (such time
as) the city comes in and does the work for a pad or a shelter. We
feel, no, we’re not comfortable with the existing operations and we
feel the stop should be moved immediately. In those cases we will
move the stop, and at the same time ask the city to as quickly as
possible make arrangements for ... normal customer amenities.”
Carr says the
TTC complaint system is the correct place to inquire when there is a
time lag before a stop is properly prepared for customers. I suggest
that the appropriate city councillor should also be alerted. If the
city is leaving riders in the rain or mud, it is fair to ask elected
representatives to explain why.