Public transit a necessity
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| Pat Capponi. |
I love to walk, I do it every day, for health, for stress, to think out difficult problems.
It wasn't always something I enjoyed, but now that I'm working, I can afford good shoes and proper socks, I can dress against the cold, and when its hot, I can stop and have a cool refreshing drink on a patio somewhere. I can visit different neighborhoods, enjoy gardens with their floral gifts, feel a part of the world. And if I get tired, I can use my bus pass to get home.
Not so long ago, walking was the only alternative to staying in place. The price of a TTC ticket was too high, even just one way. I simply didn't have the money to spend on this luxury. Walking hungry and cold and tired, walking on blisters or untreated corns, walking weighed down by hopelessness and despair was never much fun, watching as buses roared past, filled with people with options, with lives.. Now the price of a one way fare is up to $3, we've removed public transit as a possibility for far too many. Three dollars can be the difference between eating and going hungry.
The poor are stuck in their neighborhoods, effectively shut in since we've priced transportation so high. Job searches are out, as is the prospect of real grocery stores instead of the high priced corner variety store. For those on social assistance it just slams the door on opportunity, with a very final sounding thud. Allowing those in need to have a bus pass increases their chances of making their way out of poverty, of seeing other ways to live.
Public transit is one of life's necessities, and we should treat it as such.