We couldn't agree more with this letter-writer:

Published: Tuesday, September 11, 2007, The Ottawa Citizen

Re: I want OC Transpo to improve routes, security, Sept. 9

Letter-writer Kate Headley makes a good point about the level of service
on local OC Transpo routes. However, there is an underlying conclusion
that she grazes but doesn't quite make.

How can we trust city council's promises that they will be able to design
and implement a grand plan (for light rail, bus rapid transit, or anything
else), when they can't even make our existing system efficient or
effective?

One zero-cost step the city can take is to make express buses turn around
at the Hurdman and LeBreton stations. This would mean fewer buses on
Albert and Slater streets, making service in those stretches more
efficient. Instead of driving empty buses back through downtown to return
to the suburbs, drivers of these routes would be able to get back to the
local areas faster, making service more frequent and reliable there.

In addition, the interprovincial transit study needs to be started. This
study would look at ways of accommodating the number of buses coming from
Gatineau (a number that will certainly increase with the expansion of
their Rapibus system) and congesting King Edward Avenue, as well as Rideau
and Wellington streets. The City of Ottawa is the one holding this study
back, to the frustration of Gatineau and the NCC.

When 40 to 70 per cent of buses on the roads at rush hour are empty, it is
a sign that council needs to do more than just raise fares again.

Charles Akben-Marchand,
Ottawa

© The Ottawa Citizen 2007