Skip to content

Spacing

Canadian Urbanism Uncovered

9 comments

  1. The TTC’s PA system does indeed suck. You have to concentrate as hard as you can to make out what they’re saying most of the time, and if one single person near you is talking, well, you can’t hear it at all then.

    But, if the TTC goes ahead and improves the PA system, then we’ll have to hear those always clear, annoying, and HORRIBLY spoken promotional clips 10x louder. (The TTC needs to hire some voice talent, not get Cindy the receptionist to do them.)

  4. I have noticed that, and other snow banks filled with butts. Its becoming a disgusting eye sore.

  6. Also re the PA post – if the TTC announced problems on the YUS line to Bloor Danforth trains it would help a lot.

    For instance – there’s a medical emergency north of Bloor which means no trains are coming through. This information would let B-D riders choose to alight at Bay and take the bus or at St George and go around. Instead, ignorant, they (including me) alight at Bloor and head up the escalator to find the platform jammed. Sure we could go back downstairs but now my train is gone and we’ve lost time either way.

  7. The pre-recorded announcements are usually loud and clear, making me wonder if the problem is with the microphones in Transit Control, not the speakers in the stations.

  8. Since we’re talking about cigarette butts in the snow, is this a good time to mention (as I like to do every spring) that dog owners are not scoring any popularity points by letting their dogs shit in the show and then leaving it for old man winter to hide.

    There’s nothing better than the sloppy, damp shite piled up in our parks that can only be found after a spring thaw.

  9. Re PA system. Adam’s answer was very typical of TTC attitude towards solving simple problems. I once posted a question to Joe Mihevc at a function about the lack of up-to-date streetcar and bus route information on TTC stops (e.g. at most bus stops, riders have no idea which bus route stops there). I suggested a very low tech solution: better signage and route info at the stops and recommended the London UK bus stops signage as a good example. His response was how TTC will invest in sending text messages and email to let people know what’s going on at bus stops.

    Technical solution such as email and text notifications do not treat all customers equally. What happen if you don’t have a mobile (some still don’t)? What if it ran out of battery? What if you just plain forgot your mobile? What if there’s a technical problem?

    I am all for the high tech solution. But in these cost cutting days (I really don’t want to see Rob Ford using another ethnic group to make a point about the virtue of frugality), the low tech signage at bus stops gets the most bang for our limited buck.