I want OC Transpo to improve routes, security

The Ottawa Citizen
Published: Sunday, September 09, 2007
Re: The riders write, Sept. 3.

Standing on the over-crowded, dirty and hot Yonge and Bloor
subway platform at 5 p.m. on a Friday, I promised I would never
again complain about OC Transpo once I moved back. I quickly
forgot about that vow as a bus driver drove right by me one
morning at my Blackburn Hamlet bus stop, on the first day of
my new job. Unfortunately, another one was not coming again
soon enough to get me to work on time.

I don't want to compare the transit systems of the two cities,
as the needs and demands are quite different. The size of Ottawa,
compared to Toronto, does not warrant a cry for a sophisticated
light-rail system. What I want to see is more action to improve the
existing routes and better security.

My complaint is that I live less than a 10-minute drive to Blair.
Yet when a car is not an option, I am at the mercy of local routes.
The No. 125 comes every half hour and the No. 128 every hour.
The routes are not dispersed throughout the hour very well,
sometimes with gaps of a half hour between any possible routes.

The second issue I have is regarding security. I've heard of these
special constables, I just haven't seen any. If a dangerous situation
breaks out on a bus, will one appear as soon as I ring the bell that
is marked as both a stop request and a help button? Are drivers
actually trained as special constables too and can pull over right
away and resolve the problem? And if the answer to both these
questions is no, how exactly am I safe? Why is it that when I
witnessed a violent fight between one boy and a group of boys
at the Mackenzie King bus stop (before midnight), a janitor of
the adjacent building was first on the scene, later to be followed
by Ottawa police and then eventually OC Transpo security guards?

I take the bus out of necessity, but if I had the option I wouldn't
be so quick. Unless OC Transpo can promise transportation that
is just as, if not more, efficient than cars, and one that is genuinely
safe, how do they expect to increase riders?

Kate Headley, Ottawa

© The Ottawa Citizen 2007