Transit

What problem does every big city in the world suffer from? Well, I guess there are lots, but I think we’d all agree that transit would usually claim the first prize.

Still, some cities, especially European ones, have dreamed up some pretty good solutions to the problem. I guess that they’re usually denser, so that must help, but it’s also a question of smarts.

Yes, smarts, the Europeans are smart about transit. They understand how to get as many people from A to B with the least possible investment. In Canada, we don’t get that. We’re always wanting to start major projects, and never getting past negotiations, even though all that is needed is a new bus line or a road improvement.

Here’s an example. All large European cities have buses. Some have subways too, but they all have buses.

But they’re different buses; actually, they’re a bit like subways on wheels. You see, the thing about them is that they have a limited number of stops. Some buses in London, for instance, have only four or five. And this, obviously, means that they go faster. This is a good thing.

In Ottawa, on the other hand, some buses literally have over fifty stops. They stop at every darn street corner. So obviously, they go slower. This is a bad thing.

So put it this way: if I have the choice between biking home from school and getting there in half an hour, or taking the bus and getting there in a forty-five minutes, what will I do? Bike.

Now, if they cut the number of stops by two thirds and the bus take 15 minutes plus a 10 minute walk, what will I do? Bus.

Get it! This was just an example, but I’m sure you get the point. You don’t need to spend hundreds of millions of dollars to get results. You need to be smart.