#Roads & Transport
Target:
Toronto Transit Commission
Region:
Canada

PETITION TO the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC):

WHEREAS the TTC posts a schedule on the 501 Queen Streetcar line, listing service delivery at the frequency of every 6 minutes. The TTC routinely does not perform service as scheduled to Beach Residents, thereby making the service on the Queen Street 501 Streetcar an inefficient method of transportation for Beach Residents, including the elderly and handicapped, staff of local businesses and for those wishing to use the services of these businesses, or to or visit the Beach, to travel westbound out of the Beach, or eastbound into the Beach, and forcing people to take cabs or drive, when they’ve already paid a fare and/or invested in a monthly Metropass.

Transit service delivery is only as good as its weakest link, people will take the transit only when it is reliable & efficient. In particular, east of Kingston Road is underserviced by the 501.

At minimum 50% of Neville Park streetcars are short-turned before getting to the Beach, without any traffic irregularities occurring on the route, leaving service delivery, at less than every 12 minutes (at the very best), while the line according to TTC Customer Service is supposed to be achieving “frequent service of under 10 minutes”. On a regular basis there are no streetcars for 12-45 minutes at a stretch, and then two to four streetcars coming out of the loop back to back due to “schedule management” forcing breaks to be taken by drivers at the loop, and then making up the time elsewhere on the route.

Route Management must also consider that Beach Residents require the 501 streetcar for travel within the Beach for appointments, and shopping. Making up time on the downtown route, and denying service to the Beach via excessive short-turning is completely unfair to residents of the Beach, especially those who have limited mobility.

TTC’s services are based on equal access for all citizens, to get around the city, in and out of the core, and around their neighborhoods safely and efficiently, according to a posted schedule: the Beach area seems to be under-serviced, and neglected, against the backdrop of keeping the service on schedule in the downtown core; despite paying the same fares, and fees for services as the downtown core.

This level of service is entirely unacceptable to the residents, business people and visitors to the Beach. Limited parking in the Beach, makes the service delivery in the Beach for residents and visitors to the area, that much more important. Regardless of whether or not one takes transit, poor quality service along this portion of the route, leads to more cars on the road, greater congestion, more smog, and inefficiency along the rest of the route and connecting surface routes.

All TTC passengers, especially Metropass holders require and deserve equitable access to the most effective transportation to and from work, appointments, and social engagements, and all citizens should be able to benefit from the Transit System since it is primarily financed by fares.

TTC is built with our tax dollars, and in part operated with tax dollars, on terms that are equitable and fair, with no barriers to access, and with a goal of reducing traffic in the downtown core and improving our environment in keeping with Toronto's Clean Air Policy.

WE, the undersigned, petition the Toronto Transit Commission as follows:

1. To reject any and all route supervisor’s excuses of downtown traffic congestion being the cause of consistently neglecting the service from the Connaught Yard to the Neville Park Loop, and to get to the heart of the real problems on this route, ie: City traffic support.

2. To reject any proposal or policy that may result in Beach residents, employees of local businesses and institutions as well as visitors to the Beach getting less service than posted, and less service than the downtown core of the same route is provided.

3. To reject any proposed service cuts along the 501 Route east of Connaught, and to bring service from Kingston Road to the Neville Park Loop to a level where the service delivery is up to par with the requirements of the citizens and posted schedules.

4. To immediately correct the problems with their management on this line which causes it to operate with great gaps in service. IE: trip times scheduled to reflect busy times of day.

5. To immediately improve service performance and cease stranding passengers in the Beach, by excessive short-turning, and causing them to take up to 4 vehicles, and up to four times the “actual” trip time, to get into the downtown core or back into the Beach unless there is a bona fide, “documented” emergency that causes a bona fide delay.

6. To provide alternative services such as buses, or a car out of the yard, to pick up passengers in the Beach, when streetcars scheduled to go to Neville Park are re-routed/short-turned and service to the Beach is cut off, and passengers stranded.

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The Queen Street Streetcar Service Petition (501-Neville Park) petition to Toronto Transit Commission was written by Renee Knight and is in the category Roads & Transport at GoPetition.