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TTC riders faced multiple delays during Monday morning rush hour. Toronto councillor wants to improve transit communications – NOW Toronto

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TTC riders faced multiple delays during Monday morning rush hour. Toronto councillor wants to improve transit communications – NOW Toronto

After various public transit issues delayed the morning commute for many Torontonians on Monday, one city councillor announced his plans to push for major improvements to city transit. 

Toronto City Councillor Josh Matlow says he will be putting forward a motion at the next Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) board meeting in effort to improve TTC communications, propose safety protections, and better the reliability of the transit system. 

“When it comes to communications, the TTC can do a lot better,” Matlow said in an interview with Now Toronto. “That’s one of the main asks that I’m going to be bringing to the board at our next meeting, because what they’re doing now isn’t working, and it leaves most people out in the cold in a massive crowd, having no idea what’s going on or when the situation is going to be resolved.” 

The TTC told Now Toronto that there was a 20-minute transit delay at 7:44 a.m. Monday morning related to a signal issue, followed by a 75-minute delay at 8:19 a.m., near York Mills due to a trespasser on the track leading to no service between St. Clair and Sheppard.

Transit shuttles came to transport those waiting, the TTC said. 

Matlow says that the TTC can do a better job of providing communications for transit delays that are both more informative and understandable, specifically noting the often inaudible speaker announcements in subway stations. 

“Have you ever been on the platform or in the train or on a bus, and you literally cannot understand what’s coming out of the speaker? I think all of us have that story, because that is normal, and it shouldn’t be.” 

One person responded to Matlow’s post on X and said he received no information while experiencing a bus delay recently. 

“I was on the Yonge 97 bus. All we heard was “shut down”. There was no info on which stations were involved. The only way I could find out was on X/Twitter, which everyone is abandoning.” 

In another post on X, one person shared how the transit disruptions affected their business income. 

“I got on at Sheppard this morning, delay after delay, 3hrs to get to Bloor st. Totally unacceptable, had deliveries to my business, clients booked. Where can I cash missed checks,” she wrote. 

Maltow says that while Toronto doesn’t necessarily have the same transit infrastructure as major cities like Tokyo or New York City, improving communications will make the TTC more reliable. 

With proper funding, another implementation that Matlow would like to see are platform screen doors (PSD’s) which extend between the subway car and the platform and are used as a way to prevent people from being pushed or jump onto the tracks. 

While PSD implementation would have a big price tag, Matlow says the advantages would be two-fold. 

“It will prevent more incidents that create delays that disrupt the entire system, and sadly and tragically, it happens far too often,” he said. “And then, most importantly, I think any person with the questions would agree that the top priority is to keep people safe.” 

However, a lack of funding for the TTC may not lend itself well to improvement projects just yet. 

According to the Queen’s Business Review, in 2023, the TTC allocated 90 per cent of its budget to everyday operations, leaving just ten per cent for other needs or projects. 

“Every single time that any of us experience a delay that impacts our ability to get to where we’re going…it’s less likely that we’re going to see the TTC as dependable, and that’s a real problem for the TTC, so I want to make it better,” Matlow said. 

Matlow plans to bring forward a motion at the upcoming TTC board meeting on Jan. 8 to spark discussions of what can be done in the short-term and long-term for improved transit service in the city.

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