Make the councillors take the bus as well and see how it works for them

Clive Doucet, Capital ward city councillor, wants to impose some new form of taxation by charging a toll on motorists attempting to access the downtown core during rush hour.

To Clive Doucet, Alex Cullen and every other councillor who wish so dearly that Ottawa residents try harder to take the bus, ride a bicycle or walk to work: when is the last time you tried to rely exclusively on public transportation to get to work and work-related functions for a week?

I know that city councillors are very busy people. They often start work in the wee hours of the mornings and don't get home until late into the evening. They often have to go to city hall and many other places for meetings or functions in their wards. Guess what? This lowly author's day started on the road at 7:45am and ended at about 10:10pm. I too am a busy person.

What did I do today? I left my Vanier home and drove to work in the west end near Bayshore. An office equipment breakdown meant that I had to drive over to Staples on Merivale Road and get back to the office to fix the problem. I had to pick up a volunteer who is in her late 80's so she could work her four hour afternoon shift. I had to drive the volunteer back home. I snuck home for dinner before heading over to a client's house (I moonlight as a computer technician/consultant, owning my own business) in the south end of the city at 8pm. Before heading home, I needed to drop by a TD Canada Trust to make a deposit. Could I have done all of that on OC Transpo?

Perhaps, but I would have had to leave the apartment at 7:00am - or earlier - to make sure I'd make it out west in time to start work. It takes me 16 minutes to go from Montreal Rd. and St. Laurent Blvd. to Bayshore in the morning. OC Transpo couldn't get me to the St. Laurent transit station in 16 minutes. Taking the time out that I spent at the bank, it took me about 15 minutes to go from Bank and Heron back to Vanier. Try doing that at 9:30pm on a weeknight when you're nowhere near the Transitway.

Do I hate public transportation? Nope. I love it when it works. When I travel to Toronto, I park my vehicle and buy day passes. I spend my time getting around on the subway or streetcar. Why? Because I can get around faster by using public transportation, regardless of where I am in the GTA.

Sure, OC Transpo and the Transitway have won multiple awards for Ottawa's transit system. It was great for me when I lived 300 metres away from the 97 route years ago. Now I'm a 3-4km walk or bus ride to a transit station. Even in rush hour, it takes at least 4 times the amount of time to travel cross-region by bus (approximately 16 minutes versus 1+ hour). Why should I take the bus?

Time is money. Yes, the environment is valuable, but our left-leaning council that tries so hard to convince us that driving a car is evil does not, I believe, practice what it preaches.

Whether you like it or not, the City of Ottawa is growing. Yes, the Ottawa 20/20 and Official plans call for infill and urban intensification within the greenbelt. How many communities truly appreciate and encourage intensification? Very few community associations welcome the idea so we see so many NIMBY arguments made all the time. Queensway Terrace North has fought so hard against turning duplexes into triplexes - yes, those who do so illegally are wrong, but the community association has successfully managed to prevent people from doing it legally as well. So what happens? We expand to the suburbs. While driving to and from work is a challenge from those extreme tips of the region takes time, whether or not taking the bus helps resolve the challenge is up for debate.

Give me a transit option that will allow me to do my job and get around as effectively as driving a car and I'll get rid of the car. Until then, deal with the fact that we no longer have the same population as we did in 1972 and build the infrastructure accordingly. And please, stop thinking 2-3 years into the future and think about 10-20 years down the road. Ottawa's population won't be stagnating any time soon.

Nickel and diming drivers as they drive into the downtown area won't change habits one bit. It's time to look for real solutions to real problems. Our politically correct media and councillors who may not share their colleagues' views on this subject don't voice their views as loudly, so the only message out there is: evil drivers, thou shalt change your habits or else. When will common sense prevail?

It's time to do something about this. Alex, Clive: let's the three of us try abandoning our cars for a week and see how much our productivity thrives or suffers as a result. THEN you can tell me why I should spend 2+ hours each day on the bus when I can make the same return trip it in 30-40 minutes in my car. Make it worth it for me and I will get rid of my vehicle. Until then, don't tell me what to do. Like you, I'm too busy to do the "right thing" if taking the bus indeed is the right thing. I can't afford the extra hours right now, sorry.