TTC Illegal Wildcat Strike - May 30 2006

[spmarshall]

I left work around 5:30 and met a friend for dinner. I took the 18:45 Bramalea Train (oh, memories!) to Weston, as even at 18:30, the YUS was closed. A lot of people getting off at Bloor and a good crowd at Weston. Within 2 minutes, I got a 79 bus going west to Jane (And never so happy to see an Orion VII - had great AC) I took two more buses, with perfect connections, another mostly Orion VII and an empty fishbowl (the next best thing to AC, with good-sized windows that open at arm level, providing ventilation), and the driver of the third bus actually stopped at a unsigned stop to let the few people transfering on.

The TTC drivers put themselves back in my good books with my return trip. Like with the police, I know to separate the screwball out-of-control union with the employees, where at least some are decent, competant and committed workers that happen to be union members. Of course, I made sure to stay on Arrow Road assigned routes, where the maintenance workers actually bothered to go straight back to work.

I'm going to be very polite to any TTC operator that I get tomorrow. They showed up to work and were confronted by the picket lines. I'm sure they're as fustrated as many of us.

 

[ahrvojic]

Can't wait to hear what the consequences will be for the union and its leadership. I've got a hankerin' for some spankerin'!

 

[adma]

Oh please. If you think the average gay Torontonian has superior taste in music, you're SADLY mistaken!

Yeah, I know. As we all know, gay people like disco. And as we all know, disco sucks

 

[spmarshall]

I move that the last post be striken from the record.

And yeah. I'd love to go after Kinnear, the clowns at Local 113 HQ and the people who kept that picket going at Wilson, screwing up some really busy bus routes as well as the busiest subway route. Everyone else would be spared.

 

[adma]

I should have put some [deadpan wit] [/deadpan wit] caveat in my post...

 

[ganjavih]

Oh please. If you think the average gay Torontonian has superior taste in music, you're SADLY mistaken!

Abba's not that bad. Cher does suck though.

Anyhoo, the walk home from Davisville to Dundas was pretty cool. Strolling along Yonge, dripping sweat in the hot muggy weather, watching the sun go down with my fellow colleagues and the horde of other Torontonians on the street... it was a bit magical actually!

 

[scarberiankhatru]

I snagged a ride to Unionville GO station and took an express bus to Union...24 minutes flat including several minutes standing still on the DVP where it crunches at the 401. I'd take it everyday if they could bother serving the 416. There were literally 8 million people lined up inside Union to buy GO tickets to get home. The TTC owes me $5.40.

 

[shawnmicallef]

Abba made little syphonies.

--


Much of the inner city was not bad at all this afternoon. big empty streaches for parts of queen and such, when i rode through at around 3-4pm. it was around University, Bay and the like, where the suburban folks were in their cars, that it got crazy. i rode down the middle of queen, through the gridlock, from uni to about church, but then it was fine after that.

 

[miketoronto]

I guess we can say bye bye to record TTC ridership this year. Things like this strike make people switch to cars. And considering 65% of TTC riders have a car, I am sure we will see some switch over.

 

[borgos]

Mike, for once you make sense. My wife and I like to do the virtuous thing and take the subway every day even though driving to work is more comfortable and only marginally more expensive. At times, when rude passengers, dirty subways and frequent subway delays have tempted me to cancel our metropasses and get monthly parking downtown, I convinced myself that public transit is the responsible thing to do. But, I'm not so sure any more. The union's irresponsible behaviour might just tip the scale. It's ironic that if ridership declines the TTC will eventually have to employ fewer workers. These guys aren't too bright either.

 

[miketoronto]

borgos I would be interested to hear why you think the subway is not comfortable Most car drivers I know think the subway is amazing and have no problem taking it.

 

[scarberiankhatru]

"i rode down the middle of queen, through the gridlock, from uni to about church, but then it was fine after that."

At 5pm, Queen between Yonge and University was at an absolute standstill. Where the sidewalk was closed next to the Opera House, I started walking in the middle of the road...the cyclists were moving but the cars and streetcars were not. Many cyclists just started riding on the sidewalk to get around all the stopped cars.

 

[borgos]

Mike, one thing that I LOVE about taking the subway is that I can do a lot of reading. In fact, virtually all of my pleasure reading is done on the subway - that is, when a seat is available or when the person next to me is not inflicting me with her choice of techno music on her ipod. My disappointment with fellow TTC passengers is at a breaking point. Perhaps the final straw has emerged recently with the realization that my obviously pregnant wife has not once been offered a seat on the subway. At first, I naively assumed that that would change as her condition became more apparent. No luck. I cannot express how utterly disappointed I am in my fellow passengers.

 

[JoeyCuppa]

My wife and I like to do the virtuous thing and take the subway every day even though driving to work is more comfortable and only marginally more expensive.

.

What kind of math are you using to come up with that?

 

[Ontarian1976]

I didn't find out about the strike until I was about to leave for work. I took a cab to work because it was too hot to walk the 35-40 minutes.

I don't believe unions are needed, or should be allowed, in this day and age. Basically they allow lazy and incompetent workers to keep their jobs, and impose ridiculous rules on employers.