Pizza and Barf!

So the other day I broke one of my main public transit rules, never use the bathroon at Union Station. I managed to get in and pee without touching anything, but I caught a whiff of something funky when approaching the sinks to wash up. The split second that it took my brain to process the the smell data my nose was detecting seeemed to last forever. Then I got visual confirmation - someone barfed in the sink. I shouldn't be surprised. People are disgusting animals, and the Union Station men's room is the ground zero of gross. Should have know better. Somehow, I have a feeling that barf in the bathroom is a daily occurrence there.

On another note, I wathced some douchebag get on the train with a full-size box of pizza - I'm talking an extra large, not some personal pizza. I thought it was hilarious when he opened it up and started chowing down. My first impression was that he was bringing home dinner for his family, but he was clearly a frat-boy who lives in the burbs and wanted to have leftovers for breakfast the next day. That's cool and all, but do you have to subject everyone on the train to your pizza party of one?

Nice gesture by GO

For a change, I’d like to give props to GO. Their gesture of letting veterans ride free over the Remembrance Day weekend this year was I’m sure very helpful in helping some vets make it to some of the ceremonies throughout the GTA. Because I wasn’t posting regularly in November, I missed the chance to mention it at the time, but it is a good thing they are doing and deserve credit for it after the fact.

Go News in the Metro

If you don’t pick up a copy of the Metro for your commute to work each day, you really should start. Of late they have had lots of news relevant to GO hostages… I mean customers. Today there was an article about the Ontario Auditor General’s recent assessment that GO is going down the toilet in terms of service.

Also in the Metro Ed Drass writes a regular column on public transit, titles 'In Transit' that you should check out. He’s usually pretty fair in his opinions, in that he is not a reactionary blow-hard like me.

Finally, the Metro should be commended for printing letters to the editor that are actually critical of public transit. A couple of weeks back, they actually printed two in one week alone, so if you’re frustrated with GO send them off a quick note.

Random thoghts after a month away

Okay, it’s been over a month since I last posted. I had some computer problems at home, and the part I ordered off eBay from Hong Kong took it’s sweet time getting here.

To get back in the swing of things, let me simply share a few random thoughts….

I used to think an Italian sausage was the nastiest thing someone could eat on the train until last week when a Pakistani woman decided to eat a chicken feta wrap right across from me. Gross lady! Please, if you have to eat of the train, can you try to get something that isn’t going to stink up the whole car.

To the MILFish chick that I sometimes see on the train – get over yourself. Yes you’re kind of hot for your age, but you clearly haven’t been able to parlay that into a husband and your chances are dimming faster than your hair dye. When you sit with your friends you’re the most obnoxious and loud person to listen to. I’m afraid that your declining looks are no longer sufficient to keep anyone’s interest after hearing your cackling laugh after your pathetic attempts at a joke.

Pet peeve – when you’re in the waiting area inside Union Station waiting for the track of your train to be posted, but half the people are already up on the platform (because you can usually guess where it is coming in). First, they tell you NOT to go to the platform until it’s been posted. Second, when the track does change, all those A-holes come streaming back done the platform creating a traffic jam of stupid people.

Even bigger pet peeve – the human filth who actually go to the wrong platform intentionally so that they can enter the train from the other side through the wheelchair access doors.

The Little Engine that Could Not

So I’ve heard a rumour that some of the new locomotives, which GO Transit promised would be in service by now, have been delivered and testing has begun on them. One small problem though – they can’t get them up past 80 km/h. Sounds fast right? Well to put things in perspective, the current ‘outdated’ engines go about twice as fast.

The new locomotives are supposed to be powerful enough to carry two extra cars, thereby increasing passenger capacity. Good plan, if they can get these things to work.

SLOW Transit has ordered 27 of these things, with an option for another 26 down the road. Let’s hope the big-brains at transit control figure out how to drive the new trains before they commit to doubling the final order.

In the meantime, we can all help get the first batch of engines running at top-speed. When on one of the new trains, chant in unison with your fellow commuters, ‘I think I can, I think I can’. It worked for the Little Engine that Could.

Pretzel Girl

My sources on the Lakeshore West line had some thoughts about the chick that was chowing down on a pretzel on Monday afternoon.

Listen girl, nobody wants to smell your nasty stinky garlic pretzel. Next time you're planning or reeking-up the train, just bring a skunk with you.

It’s people like you, who don’t think of others, that make life on the train miserable after a long day of work.

I hope you drop your next pretzel and get mustard on your brand new white jacket and it makes you cry.

TTC Update

Last week I actually gave the TTC props for their plans to install security cameras on all their vehicles.

So along comes Privacy International, a privacy watchdog group based in the UK, who say the TTC has shown “contempt” toward privacy laws and have asked Ontario’s Privacy Commissioner to investigate.

Well I have contempt for Privacy International. Seriously guys, don’t you have better things to do like preventing the government from reading my e-mails? I’m also pretty sure there are big-brother issues to deal with in Russia or China. TTC cameras? Seriously?

Anyone who takes the TTC on a regular basis knows there is nothing private about the experience. On the average subway car in rush-hour, how many people are on the train with you? 200 maybe? I don’t need Privacy International looking out for me, I need a watchdog group that will make people take showers in the morning before getting up close to me on the train.

So just what privacy is being violated? Well, I guess now I can’t pick my nose on the bus when I think no one is watching.