Back on the bike again

On Wednesday this week I think I had my worst TTC experience of the winter. Standing on an absolutely jampacked streetcar waiting for a stampede to happen, then waiting for another streetcar in -15 and windchill for 15 minutes is just not what makes me happy.

So far I had put off riding my bike since mid-December, when we first got a serious amout of snow here. But today I decided to brave the ice, snow and cold and take my trusty bike on the street again. And I loved it. I'll do it again tomorrow.

Toronto's public transit network, operated by the Toronto Transit Commission, comprises three (or four, depending on how you count them) subway and RT lines, eleven streetcar lines and 168 bus routes. The price of a 30-day transit pass, known as Metropass, is $109 CAD (approx. 67 EUR). The population of the city of Toronto, according to Wikipedia, is 2,503,281.

For comparison, Berlin, with a population of 3,424,764, has nine U-Bahn lines, fifteen S-Bahn lines, 28 streetcar routes and 150 bus lines. The price of a 30-day pass is 72 - 88.50 EUR ($117 - $144 CAD) depending on the number of zones the pass is valid for.

New York, with a population of 8,274,527, has about 24 subway lines (local and express), no streetcars and 240 bus lines (local and express). The price of a 30-day MetroCard is $81 USD (approx. $102 CAD).

Helsinki, with the population of just 574,579, has one or two subway lines (depending on how you count them), several commuter train lines (similar to S-Bahn in Germany), eleven streetcar lines (as many as Toronto), 93 local and about 105 regional/metro area bus lines and two ferry lines. The price of a 30-day transit pass is 42.80 EUR (approx. $70 CAD).

The main difference between Toronto and the other three cities - and particularly Berlin and Helsinki - is that in Helsinki and Berlin the system is modern, efficient and on time, and therefore offers reasonable value for the money paid for the fare. In New York, the subway system, which is one of the largest in the world and the only 24-hour subway in the world, moves people better than probably anything in Toronto.

So I'm sticking to the bike now and hoping for warmer weather. ;)

Voice of sanity

As the newest and latest Federal Election draws near in Canada, here are some of the highlights of the Green Party of Canada platform:

• Develop and rebuild Canada's aged and neglected rail lines to get people and freight off the roads and onto the rails. Create high-speed passenger rail lines, like the ones that exist in Europe and many parts of Asia, to connect key cities like Toronto and Montreal.
• Withdraw from the North American free-trade agreement (NAFTA) to negotiate a new trade deal that includes protection for human rights, jobs and resources.
• Impose a $50-a-tonne carbon tax that adds 12 cents a litre to the price of gasoline. Use carbon tax revenues to fund poverty reduction measures and reduce income taxes.
• Create programs aimed at restoring work-life balance, including a mandatory three-week vacation and reduce payroll taxes so that employers hire new employees rather than expect current staff to work overtime.
• Decriminalize marijuana.
• Restore the GST to 6 per cent from its currently 5 per cent, and transfer that revenue to cities for environmental infrastructure projects such as public transit.

Not a solution to everything, but the above measures would be a big step in the right direction.