Personal Transit Story - a little RS help?
 

So first off, I know this is probably the last forum that the word "transit" should be appearing on, but its a worth a shot.

I'm an urban planning grad student at Ryerson right now, and for our studio project, we have an NGO client that has a campaign that is advocating for better transit funding in Toronto.

A part of my groups project consists of gathering people's positive transit stories from cities around the world (with Vancouver being one of them).

Is anyone interested in helping a fellow RS member with their Vancouver story? For example, the Canada Line was built, and maybe since then you have saved time traveling downtown to work, or maybe transit has saved you a ton of money economically because you don't have to pay as much for gas, etc. Could be whatever really. It would require signing a release form as the story would be posted on the clients website and possibly require a picture of yourself to go along with the story.

You can PM me if interested.

Thanks guys and gals!

http://www.civicaction.ca/ <--- my clients website

After thinking about it, I couldn't find one positive story related to our transit system. Even those who don't take transit have to pay an extra $0.15/L on gas for the transit tax.

I was standing and holding onto the vertical bars while another person was doing the same.

Other person decided to sneeze and cover his mouth with his hand, then without hesitation, put his hand right back onto the pole slightly above mine.

oh wait, positives? There is none.

similar story, a super packed skytrain, and the guy squishes in before the door closes. he was a little taller than me and had sweaty, HAIRY ARMS like a fucking gorilla...seriously ridiculously hairy...in order to grab the pole he had to stick his arm in my face :rukidding:

i had to lean my head over 45degrees the entire time just so that only the arm hair is grazing my face

on the plus side living near a skytrain station going in to downtown for work is super convenient if you don't mind having to fight your way in once in a while during rush hour. for 2 years i didn't have to insure my car or pay for gas, and my company paid for my bus pass :awwyeah:

heres another positive story,

Young kids these days dont give up seat for the elderly...
Many times ive seen kids in the teens that see an elderly person walking on, then looks down to play on the damn phone.. WTF...

oh wait.. thats... not... positive...

the one thing good about it is that the canada line goes straight to my moms work so its super easy for her to get there and for me to take the car when its raining hard and taking my motorcycle is too dangerous to get from richmond to bcit.

I love my mom! I know its shitty deal for her but it works out well :c I will buy her a car when i can T_T

positives... positives...... when you're a teen/kid it makes getting to the mall so easily and you meet all sorts of interesting people and chicks

as you get a little older though you realize all those interesting people are nutjobs that you cant stand to be near and some of them are looking for a fight or thieving target also those chicks are too young for you now and getting where you want to go is no longer convenient because you're not looking to get to metrotown asap

having said that i havent taken transit in over a decade so i dont know what its like these days

^surrey?

This sort of counts as a positive and negative. The Upass system costs a student 120 dollars per semester. This is significant for students who do not have access to a car and it contributes to the token argument that it's good for the environment. I would think that the majority of students use public transit (60-70%) based on observation. For instance, a large contingent of SFU students are from Maple Ridge and Coquitlam and benefit from the upass greatly.

At the same time however, there are post-secondary students who are forced to pay for the upass fee, even though they already have a car/alternative source of transportation. I'm not arguing that the Upass is a great story, I'm suggesting that there are those that benefit from that Transit Program.

One time I was sitting on a bus, sitting in the aisle seat because this fatass woman was in the window seat. I couldn't sit properly because of the fatass woman. Then this other fatass woman was trying to get off the bus, and wiped her ass all over my arm/shoulder. I helped out a fellow citizen by wiping her ass, because she certainly could not do it herself due to her fatassness. Positive?

Another time I was standing on the skytrain oin a rainy day when this douchebag gentleman comes on and lets out a massive sigh in my face. I could tell he had a healthy intestinal system because his breath smelled fucking terrible. Positive as well I guess.

So your client is trying to get better funding for Toronto transit, by collecting positive transit stories from around the world? You're looking in the wrong city :fuckthatshit:

Full disclosure: I do have the UPass, but I would be driving into Richmond if I didn't

With Canada Line I find much less of a need to drive to Richmond. Cuts down on my road rage when I'm stuck in congestion, don't have to deal with crappy drivers/parkers, and gets me to most places I need to go in Richmond. Doesn't really cost me any more time to transit, and I don't usually travel during peak hours so skytrain congestion doesn't bother me.

LOL transit stories won't do shit, better off collecting off data and see if people are happier or not.

What is your funding target? Just more money for transit doesn't mean much... even if you get more money for translink/TTC, they can just use the money for their Taj Mahal at Metrotown.

Lived in Richmond and worked at Harbour Centre, it was a breeze getting to work. Saved myself time, gas money and ridic parking rates. Obviously, it's going to be packed, but the train, for the most part, was always on time and clean.

I think the only positive thing ive experienced about our transit is when you need to get home in under 3 hours after a Canucks game. In a car itll take just about forever, skytrain is still packed with people although you can get home in just under an hour to richmond.

i hate to say it but toronto has it a little better than vancouver when it comes to urban layout. they have a highway through it, with multiple highways branching off of it. thus the masses can travel to the destination a bit faster.

vancouver lacks that, it has a highway kinda to it, but then dies, and you are stuck on city streets until the next possible joining highway.

Negative: Transit has fucked me over numerous times and coincidentally all of those times I had a test that was needed to be written.

^ but you gotta love grinding in them LGs or LBs :troll:

You're a tool yray, and transit sucks dick
Posted via RS Mobile

Our transit system just isn't as efficient and well spread than other major cities..if it was comparable to say New Yorks (apart from the increased living costs and other factors contributing to not driving) I would have never bought a car in the first place.

Whenever a friend lands in Vancouver, I can get wasted and SkyTrain out to meet them at the airport :)

lol oh revscene
Posted via RS Mobile

to add another negative, imo they dont even have enough bus/train/labor to provide reasonable time services to people who actually use u-pass, let alone if all the u-pass holders used it.

wasnt there a story in vancouver where the guy was able to bicycle faster than a bus to/in downtown or something.

i guess a positive was their shitty times and raising prices probably made a few people get cars, meaning i get a tiny bit more space if i do use transit.