Public Transit Wish List
My local public transit drives me BONKERS. Like, I get road rage just thinking about it. Case-in-point: yesterday afternoon I arrived at a bus stop on-time. When the bus pulled up, it was already packed to the brim: about 20 of us waiting couldn’t get on that bus, and had to wait for the next one, which didn’t come for another 30 MINUTES: my 5-minute bus trip had just become a 45-minute experience. That next bus was also very full, and those of us waiting rushed the door to ensure we wouldn’t be waiting another 30 minutes in the drizzly rain. And this wasn’t some bus stop on the far outskirts of the city: this was a downtown bus stop, normal business hours, no extreme weather.
All of this to say, bus service this infrequent and unreliable is a lesson in frustration for anyone with a schedule (namely, every adult in the city with a job, class or dentist appointment).
This is why most Edmontonians insist on needing a car to get around. And they’re right.
For most people, it’s not feasible to schedule in an extra hour of buffer on either side to catch a 50-minute bus ride for what would be a 20-minute drive.
All of of these issues become compounded in the winter. Most of us don’t have the sort of leisurely schedule (or patience) to be content waiting outside, with no bus shelter, in -30 degree Celsius weather for a bus that’s running late. On the one hand, I get it: roads become trickier in winter weather! On the other hand, 6 months of our year is spent in snow: this weather is not a surprise, and surely could be planned for?
The causes of our transit woes are, I’m sure, complex: Edmonton is a sprawling city of suburbs, and its residents are inordinately attached to their cars. I also strongly suspect that many of the politicians and people making these decisions do not use public transit as their main mode of transportation (can someone do a survey to find these numbers? I’m honestly so curious what they would be!).
So how do we make it better? I’m no expert, but I’ve found myself with a LOT of time on my hands to dream up solutions, as I wait for buses. Below is my ongoing Public Transit Wish List, which ranges from the practical to the downright dreamy. Enjoy!
Public Transit Wishlist
The people who make public transit decisions and schedules have to be taking public transit as their main mode of daily transportation. I feel like this rule would result in some immediate and beneficial changes to the current system.
Max of 10-minute wait times. Yeah yeah, budgets, realities-of-a-sprawling city, blah blah. This is a DREAMY WISH LIST, folks! Let me dream.
Accessible sidewalks and bike paths connecting to bus routes and stops. It boggles my brain how many bus stops in Edmonton let you out on a road with no sidewalk.
FREE public transit. Don’t tell me that the higher-ups and politicians mentioned back in Wish List Item #1 won’t be able to find the money once it directly affects their day-to-day lives.
Priority lanes, lighting and stops for all public transit at all times. In other words, make public transit faster than taking your own car. In the current reality you can assume that, door-to-door, taking public transit will take you 2x, 3x or even 4x longer than a car (for example, what would be a 15-minute car trip, a public transit user would probably need to schedule 45 minutes to walk to-and-from bus stops, accommodate time for late buses, etc.). Right now the system (and the perks) for speedy, easy transit favors cars, leaving public transit users feeling like second-class citizens.
All electric-powered fleet of buses and trains. Greta insists, and so do I.
Solar-powered, heated transit shelters created with winter weather in mind: inviting, colourful designs, phone charger stations, and free wifi. Water fountains that function year-round. Public washrooms.
Buses and transit shelters that are cleaned at least every 7 days would go a long way to making these spaces feel more welcoming, safer and generally less dodgy.
Eating cars on trains. Also a quiet “Library Car” for the readers, run by the EPL (Edmonton Public Library). So civilized!
Minibars on buses that serve coffee, lemonade and snacks. Or better yet, a public bus/ice cream truck combo???!! Front of bus: entry for passengers; back of bus: ice cream ordering counter. You guys, this might be the best idea I’ve ever had.
Cycling buses: as in, buses powered by its cycling passengers. Transportation AND fitness in one! I’ve seen those pub-cycle tours, I know it can be done. Obviously, we’d need covered and heated versions for the winter, and extra non-cycling seats for the elderly, children, etc.
Heated seats for the winter!!! Heated seats on everything should be mandatory for all winter cities. Like, national law.
Perks for public transit users. Like an Air Miles point system! The more often you use public transit, the more points you accrue, that add up to offer you free tickets to sports games, theatre tickets, Farmers’ Market gift certificates, and other cool stuff.
Enclosed vegetable gardens growing on the roofs of buses and flowers along the window seats. A little bit of nature and greenery in the middle of the city! Veggies could be donated to homeless shelters; flowers could be sent to hospital patients.
…. honestly, I could go on.
