Katie Franzios's blog
The TTC is a memo-writing machine!
Another week, another TTC happening to react to.
Mayoral candidates are now weighing in on the firing of a TTC executive who allegedly helped his girlfriend get a photography contract with the Toronto Transit Commission.
Rocco Rossi told Newstalk 1010 that it's a step in the right direction.
"I'm only sorry it took a major news story in the newspaper to push the institution into action, " Rossi commented while attending a vigil for Chilean earthquake victims.
Project manager John Cursio's long-time companion Robin Thoen was awarded a $50,000 gig to take pictures at public meetings and potential building locations. She has also been let go.
Mayoral Candidates Won't Focus on Making the TTC an Essential Service
On Monday, one MPP at Queen's Park introduced a private member's bill proposing to make the TTC an essential service. Former Health Minister David Caplan wants to prevent future public transit strikes and outlined what to do when contracts talks stall. Although it passed first reading, Transportation Minister Kathleen Wynne maintained the plan doesn't fall in line with the Liberal government's position and Premier Dalton McGuinty suggested the issue should be debated during the municipal election.
That may be easier said than done.
Although there has been talk at city hall for years to prevent TTC strikes by making it an essential service, no one has ever pushed the province to make it happen. In 2008, Toronto came close, with city council voting 23-to-22 against asking Queen's Park to make a move.
Planning a TTC Trip Can Be Complicated
The TTC is trying to make hopping on public transit easier with its new trip planner.
While this online gadget seems snazzy, it comes one year after a community initiative called myTTC.ca which does the exact same thing.
So why not test it out? (See below). After punching in a few different starting off points, with each final destination City Hall, I have a clear favourite - myTTC.
I have a few problems with the official TTC site. First, it's very wordy. If you're in a hurry, you may skim the directions too fast and miss something. Secondly, there was a spelling error ("Rennymede" station?) in the directions. You also have to go through a multi-stepped process and while it does guarantee the system will almost always get the locations you plug in correct, the step before your final directions can be confusing.
It's not going to work!
The Mayor says he's going to speed up the Pedestrian Safety Strategy by fast-tracking initiatives proposed last spring including putting in more pedestrian countdown signals, making crossing times longer at intersections and installing more pavement markings near crosswalks. Councillor Bill Saundercook wants to reduce the speed limit in school zones and family neighbourhoods by 10 km/hr.
And while I am for any measure that will make the roads safe, these things don't account for one thing: people who don't care about lights or posted signs.
Driving back home from city hall on Monday night, after listening to debate on both of this issues, I met with a few poster children for what not to do out on the city's streets.
I'm Jing-Jing-Jingling along
As I look out from the station's Queen's Park office onto the remnants of our first dusting of snow all I can think is "Finally!" - it's now socially acceptable to sing Christmas carols!
I'm not winter's biggest cheerleader. I'm not a fan of slippery sidewalks or slushy streets and although I love the idea of making snowmen, I get cold too quickly when I'm outside to really enjoy it. Singing these yuletide ditties is what makes me smile until the new year for no other reason than they're fun.
I sing carols and holiday songs (mostly Feliz Navidad, for some reason) all year long but I can only openly do it at this time of year. I'll admit, there have been times in the spring or summer when I've been caught humming a festive tune as I walk around City Hall or the Newstalk 1010 studios, getting quizzical looks from councillors and co-workers. Some smile, some ignore and most question my sanity.
Alright, H1N1, that's enough now
I'm not talking about media coverage of the Swine Flu, I just want that flu bug to stop bugging me!
I can in no way prove I had H1N1 but the two bouts of flu I dealt with this fall have been ridiculous. First, it was everything but the fever which equalled to a few days off work, tossing and turning in my bed and shuffling around my apartment in flannel PJs and slippers. Then, two weeks later, on a long weekend I was looking forward to in true not-doing-anything fashion, I get knocked down with a fever. I tried to go out but when I realised I was too dizzy to drive, I threw in the towel. The fever and dizziness were coupled with sore everything, loss of appetite and all-around grumpiness.
My doctor told me to stay at home on both occasions and ride it out. I'm a relatively healthy woman so I just needed the bug to get out of my system. Done and done (even if it did mean missing a hockey game at the ACC - the first NHL game I would have attended since I moved to Toronto a few years ago. I'm still a little grumbly about that!). That meant no H1N1 test, just text messages from a friend telling me what to expect if it was, in fact, Swine Flu (he had it for a week and a half at the beginning of the second wave).
Fed up with all of this flu business, I decided to get my H1N1 shot (just to be on the safe side in case that wasn't teh Swine Flu that knocked on my door). The people at the North Toronto Memorial Community Centre on Eglinton W. were spectacular! They were good humoured, informative and made a person who has been afraid of needles since birth (or around there) very comfortable. But the next day, I was achy and felt like that truck that had hit me twice before came back for a third and final once-over.
So that's it. My patience is at its end. No more flu anything this winter, please. I want to get back to the productive little worker bee I'm used to being and I want to make sure I'm not taken out on my long weekends. I have another one coming up and I want to enjoy it! I also get really bored at home alone during the day - there's only so much daytime TV a girl can watch before wanting that truck to come back for a fourth time.
You've won H1N1. You sidelined me as you set out to do. Now laugh your evil laugh and go away. No one wants to talk to you anymore.
TTC-GIF!
This has been a very TTC-intensive week - for myself at work and for everyone else in Toronto, for that matter. On Tuesday, the decision came down at city hall regarding a fare hike in the new year. Wednesday brought us the service disruption on the Yonge line because a contractor accidentally cut through the street and into the subway tunnel.
On both days, commuters were fuming. But now that the dust has settled and the token-hoarding has begun, we need to realise the TTC probably could do no right this week.
On fares:
A mini stay-cation
I love to travel. I love it so much that I will sometimes plan trips in my spare time, knowing that I will never take them. Despite going out West this summer for a Rockies/Pacific Ocean extravaganza in B.C. and Alberta, it wasn't enough. I've started to catch the travel bug again. The problem is, the holiday season is coming up and I'm trying to tighten my purse strings so I can properly get into the festive season with gifts for loved ones and decorations for me. (You sometimes have to get Christmas presents for yourself, too!)
So my boyfriend and I did what we thought was the best and most economical thing to quench our thirst for exploring: we had a mini stay-cation right here in Toronto. We rented a hotel in the heart of downtown, walked around, did a little shopping, went to a jazz club and then, to top-off an already wonderful 24 hours, we caught the Hockey Hall of Fame Legends Classic at the Air Canada Centre on Sunday afternoon.
The shrinking token limit
Last week, the TTC announced it would impose a per person token limit, allowing riders to buy only 10 tokens a pop.This afternoon, that limit shrunk to five tokens at a time.
The TTC says it's because of an increased demand and it doesn't want collectors to run out. This comes just days after a proposed 25-cent per ride fare hike in January.
It's apparent they're trying to discourage people from stocking up before prices rise but what about everyone else?
While I have to use my car for work, I like having a few tokens handy for weekend or after-work outings - hopping on the subway is much easier than finding parking downtown and much cheaper, too. It's a pain to wait in line-ups to pay each time, so if I can get 10 tokens in one shot, then I'll do it.
The Public Health Disconnect
I have to commend Toronto Public Health for wanting to roll-out the H1N1 vaccine to the public a few days earlier than planned. It was a good idea, in theory. Yes, it will help people sooner. The problem is, they needed to step things up well past the idea stage.
It's one thing to tell to your buddies at the bar what your favourite hockey team should be doing to win a few games, but if you get thrown behind the bench, chances are you wouldn't be too prepared past the "score more goals" conversation.
Hands-free ban is an excuse for a new toy
I'm not a techie in the conventional sense. I can't rattle off the specs of my computer, I'm not up-to-date on the latest video game systems and I definitely can't construct a state-of-the-art anything.
But I love getting new gizmos and these cell phone restrictions while driving is an excuse to get one.
There are some pretty sleek options out there and with so much to choose from - do I get a visor clip or an ear piece? Bluetooth or a wire hook-up? Black or silver? - this may not be an easy task.
Of course, I could get really serious about this, and venture into the realm where techonolgy meets fashion: a Bluetooth headset with Swarovski crystals. Or maybe not.
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