From today's Globe & Mail:
TTC riders in every corner of the city will feel the effects of service cuts set to begin in January as streetcars and buses are taken off 62 of the system’s busiest routes. More crowding and longer waits will be the outcome.
The service cuts were approved earlier this year by TTC commissioners as part of their efforts to find the 10 per cent budget cuts demanded from every city department and agency. At the time, riders were warned that decision would mean reductions to service, but the commission so far has remained silent on just how far the pain would be spread.
An internal list, obtained by a group that advocates for transit riders, shows passengers on six streetcar lines and 56 bus routes can expect less frequent service starting Jan. 8. These include already crowded services such as the Queen and Spadina streetcars and buses on Finch Ave West, Don Mills and Dufferin. However, streetcar service will not be affected during peak hours.
The group released details of the service cuts Thursday morning, the same day as the commission’s first town hall meeting. The evening meeting at city hall is part of the TTC’s new customer service campaign.
“This is a big service cut to surface transit in Toronto,” said Jamie Kirkpatrick, a spokesperson for TTCriders, who obtained the list. “It’s a war on transit users across the city because we’re doing our part, there are more of us than ever before, we are paying 70 per cent of the cost to run the system and for a relatively small amount of the TTC’s budget, we are all going to be made to suffer next year.“
Keeping riders in the dark about the affected routes, he speculated, is designed to head off opposition as the city faces tough budget talks in the coming weeks. “They are trying to hide the impact of this until it is too late,” Mr. Kirkpatrick said, pointing to the uproar created by other proposed cuts such as reductions to library hours.
Don't blame me, I didn't vote for him.
No kidding...I'm thinking no one would admit to voting for him...
Posted by: Heather | November 25, 2011 at 02:36 PM