Ric Phillips

#Toronto rant: I'm not one to get too sensational about the ongoing decline of public transit in Toronto, but anecdotally, here is a recap of my three subway rides just this week. 1. A woman on the subway at 11 p.m. after a concert is screaming racist comments and hurling threats at young passengers to the point that people are moving cars. 2. A man with his pants down is fondling himself outside Union Station in the early afternoon, trying to get close to women to get himself off. 3. A man is screaming homophobic slurs and hurling threats at two young men minding their own business. My family and I take public transit in Toronto every week, and have done so for almost two decades. It is getting worse and worse. My friend was randomly punched in the face, many women I know will not ride the TTC alone, and my teen son has too many horror stories to retell. I do not feel safe most of the time. Rarely do I see any transit police, even late at night, when subway cars are packed after special events in the city. If I did, I would be the first to ask for help. Yet we've been having this distracting conversation about removing bike lanes (as if that will help the absolute 24-7 traffic disaster in our city). Also, side note, I would bike everywhere if I didn't think there was a good chance of getting hit by a car. So, here's an idea. Make public transit cleaner, safer, and more reliable for everyone, including families, commuters, teens, seniors, etc. I am not going to stop taking the TTC because I believe in the importance of public transportation to make our city better. However, we need to stop kidding ourselves about why public transportation is not a choice for so many of our residents. Also, I understand that many people ride the TTC and have had no issues whatsoever, but that is absolutely not my experience. I understand that there are a growing number of people in our city who are battling addiction and struggling on the streets, so let's do everything we can to get them help. As a voter in the upcoming municipal election, this is my number one issue. I will vote for the candidate who is honest about this situation, which I believe is at the root of so many of our issues and a growing embarrassment for a city that wants to compete on the world stage.