As we await news of a possible transit fare increase (the TTC meeting started at 2pm this afternoon), we should stop and thank those who have fought to keep the transit system from sliding further into decay. For years, Steve Munro has been a thorn in the side of TTC commissioners and management. The transit activist was recently awarded the Jane Jacobs Prize, an award created to “discover and celebrate Toronto’s original, unsung heroes — by seeking out citizens who are engaged in activities that contribute to the city’s vitality.”
Mr. Munro has started his own blog on transit issues, and we at Spacing couldn’t be happier to have his intelligent voice added to the blogsphere. His current post about the subway station makeovers is right on the mark. While Spacing is certainly a booster of the city’s subway station designs, I must whole-heartedly agree with Mr. Munro that these re-designs could just be make-work projects for people like Jack Diamond, and only help gloss over real problems facing the TTC. How many of us will care what the station looks like if the subway trains are too crowded in the morning rush hour?
