Advertisement 1

Crowded, unreliable and infuriating: Riders deliver an earful at transit town hall

About 120 people packed into a church basement Saturday for a public town hall meeting on transit organized by Ottawa Centre MPP Joel Harden.

Article content

Since the introduction of Ottawa’s shiny new LRT system, Centretown resident Maria Belen says it takes her just as long to walk to her job in Hull as it does to use transit.

And, if she has a morning meeting, Belen is afraid to take OC Transpo. “I just take an Uber because I don’t want to risk being late.”

Belen was among about 120 people packed into a church basement Saturday for a public town hall meeting on transit organized by Ottawa Centre MPP Joel Harden.

Advertisement 2
Story continues below
Article content
Article content

Participants were asked to compile lists of problems and solutions that would be passed along to OC Transpo.

For some transit users like Belen, the reduction of bus service and route change that accompanied the start of LRT operations have made their commutes longer.

The complaints were wide-ranging about both buses and LRT trains. Unreliable service, late service, inexplicable and infuriating service, for instance.

“Why are there tons of buses with ‘out of service’ shingles who pass people waiting in the cold for 15 minutes?” one participant asked. “The schedules are basically useless and the apps only work about half the time,” another said.

There was also discussion about crowded buses and trains and reduced service to important locations such as the Civic campus of The Ottawa Hospital.

Transit user Maria Belen, a Centretown resident, says that since the introduction of LRT, it takes her just as long to walk to her job in Hull as it does to use transit.
Transit user Maria Belen, a Centretown resident, says that since the introduction of LRT, it takes her just as long to walk to her job in Hull as it does to use transit. Photo by Jacquie Miller /Postmedia

Sarah Wright-Gilbert, a citizen member of the city’s transit commission and panelist at the meeting, said she had no idea what she was getting into when she stepped into the volunteer job. She takes transit from Orléans to her job at Tunney’s Pasture, an experience that includes a park-and-ride, a trip on a crowded bus and the not-so-dependable LRT.

Advertisement 3
Story continues below
Article content

“It’s like the Hunger Games,” Wright-Gilbert joked. She said she was once shoved by a frustrated fellow commuter and had witnessed “near fistfights break out at Blair (Station.)”

“We are all going through a lot of stress and anxiety over the LRT.”

Wright-Gilbert said she had found it difficult to obtain answers from senior OC Transpo management. She has about 22 unanswered questions, including the cost to have 20 buses on standby to rescue passengers when an LRT train breaks down during rush hour.

Panelist Sally Thomas, a Para Transpo rider and activist, gave the LRT system a “C” grade. One of her suggestions was more seating to accommodate wheelchairs, walkers, strollers and others requiring extra room.

About 120 people attended Saturday’s transit town hall, organized by Ottawa Centre MPP Joel Harden.
About 120 people attended Saturday’s transit town hall, organized by Ottawa Centre MPP Joel Harden. Photo by Jacquie Miller /Postmedia

Participant Peggy Coupland said she depended on transit because she couldn’t afford a car. “Maybe the LRT was brought in a little too soon,” she said after the town hall. “I don’t think all the bugs were worked out.

“Hopefully there is going to be some improvements made. Now that winter is coming and you hear about those (LRT) doors not working, heaven knows what will happen.”

Participants also discussed the need to combat car culture and encourage more people to use transit, a challenge given the current circumstances.

jmiller@postmedia.com

twitter.com/JacquieAMiller


ALSO IN THE NEWS

Residents of tent city near LeBreton Flats told to pack up after fire raises safety concerns

One-day strike by teachers and education workers could cancel classes for 116,000 Ottawa students

Gatineau police initiate ‘lightning strike’ system to nail impaired drivers

Article content
Comments
You must be logged in to join the discussion or read more comments.
Join the Conversation

Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion. Please keep comments relevant and respectful. Comments may take up to an hour to appear on the site. You will receive an email if there is a reply to your comment, an update to a thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information.

Latest National Stories
    This Week in Flyers