5 weeks later and yes the bus union is still on strike. I don't even feel angry anymore, all I can do is laugh at the union for how childish they are behaving. Every offer the city has put on the table the union has declined. The city keeps changing their offers to make the union happy but the union will not budge on what they want. So in a nutshell the union is acting like a brat at a toy store stomping their feet screaming "I WANT IT" and throwing a hissy fit without trying to listen or reason with the parent.
Besides the child like attitude of "Gimme gimme" they are now acting out by pulling stupid stunts like blocking the city snow plows after a snowfall. Why? So that they can get the city's attention and gain support. Hmm...let's look at this again. So you stand in front of the city's plows and block them as they are leaving the depot to plow the streets before morning rush hour traffic, and now the roads are unsafe and you think this will gain you support? What do snowplows have to do with a transit strike?? And don't forget that these are the people making more money than most University graduates! How can you not laugh at this strike!
I also read 2 weeks ago that the media was interviewing the head of the union and asked him if he was going to be going back in to continue talks that day. He said " I'll leave that to the adults to discuss". Wait....so if he called the city and other union reps adults, then did he just call himself a child? Either way ,for a union leader, that comment made no sense and probably did very little to gain support.
So that's my little update on the Bus Strike! Oh and I am developing killer legs walking to work everyday!
Just when you least expect it, expect to be . . . BUS JACKED! The life & times of riding the bus.
Welcome!
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Monday, February 13, 2012
Bus Strike Week #2
So the bus stroke is still on and we are now hearing rumours that they could be on strike until March. It's not even halfway through February and they know a deal won't be reached until March? Seriously almost a whole month and you can't come to an agreement? I have a feeling this bus strike is really bad news for the city and really really bad news for Transit workers, as citizens are slowly turning against them just like i said would happen!
I read last week that some of the union workers striking are not happy about the strike either and are not in support if it. And now there are people picketing the picketers! There is one man who walks in front of the picket line every morning with a sign that reads "TAXPAYER, who do transit workers think they are" with another sign that says "Transit- Fire them and re-hire". This one man who is standing up against all the other picketers, and actually gets more waves and honks then the Transit strikers are getting. Why? Because no one supports the Transit Strike! On the radio this morning they said they same thing the man stated, fire the few transit workers that are not happy and hire new ones. This was on one of the most popular radio stations in the city saying what everyone else is thinking. The city cannot afford what the workers want, taxpayers do not want to pay more than what we already pay, but the transit expects us to just give them what they want? The city has made a number of offers but every single offer the union has turned down. They say it's not about money yet it's right there in the paper and on the news that the city offered an amount that the union felt was too low. HAHA! It's always about money!
I've been lucky so far to catch a ride with co workers and friends, but that still does not make commuting to work any better. We have to leave almost an hour earlier, and we have to park a good 20 minute walk away from our office. The other day they had police directing traffic because of how congested traffic has become. It must have been the only way to get traffic moving, the cops directing instead of cars stopping for traffic lights. I have to say it did make a difference. But can they do that everyday? No, it's just not possible. Also more cars on the road equals more car accidents! For some people getting to work now means a 3 hour commute!
Transit workers: Get off your high horse and suck it up that you do not get to select which shifts you work and for how much! Welcome to the real world. That's why it is called job!
I read last week that some of the union workers striking are not happy about the strike either and are not in support if it. And now there are people picketing the picketers! There is one man who walks in front of the picket line every morning with a sign that reads "TAXPAYER, who do transit workers think they are" with another sign that says "Transit- Fire them and re-hire". This one man who is standing up against all the other picketers, and actually gets more waves and honks then the Transit strikers are getting. Why? Because no one supports the Transit Strike! On the radio this morning they said they same thing the man stated, fire the few transit workers that are not happy and hire new ones. This was on one of the most popular radio stations in the city saying what everyone else is thinking. The city cannot afford what the workers want, taxpayers do not want to pay more than what we already pay, but the transit expects us to just give them what they want? The city has made a number of offers but every single offer the union has turned down. They say it's not about money yet it's right there in the paper and on the news that the city offered an amount that the union felt was too low. HAHA! It's always about money!
I've been lucky so far to catch a ride with co workers and friends, but that still does not make commuting to work any better. We have to leave almost an hour earlier, and we have to park a good 20 minute walk away from our office. The other day they had police directing traffic because of how congested traffic has become. It must have been the only way to get traffic moving, the cops directing instead of cars stopping for traffic lights. I have to say it did make a difference. But can they do that everyday? No, it's just not possible. Also more cars on the road equals more car accidents! For some people getting to work now means a 3 hour commute!
Transit workers: Get off your high horse and suck it up that you do not get to select which shifts you work and for how much! Welcome to the real world. That's why it is called job!
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Bus Strike!
Bus story? What bus story? Transit is on strike! Can you believe it? It's the middle of the winter (a mild one at least) and not a single bus or ferry is running. So my options are to take my car to work and pay and arm & leg for parking, swim across the polluted harbour (not much of an option) or walk across a cold windy bridge that will take me 2 hours to get to work. Unfortunately none of these options work for me.
So what i will do is post stories from years ago, or recent stories that I haven't had a chance to enter. It's been a few months since i wrote any stories so i think you deserve a few. I will also post the interesting ways I get to work, and how much of an inconvenience it is that Transit is on strike. Also feel free to post/ vent some of your frustration about the strike, i know i am not the only one that is upset.
I understand that the drivers want fair pay, job security etc. but i think all of us want job security and fair pay and to inconvenience 96,000 daily commuters to get there point across is unnecassary! And i'm not just talking about myself, what about the people who can't afford a cab and rely on the bus everyday to get to & from everywhere? What about those who can't afford a vehicle but rely on the bus to drop off their kids to daycare or school? Or how about the people who use the Access-a-bus to get to the hospital for cancer treatments? Oh wait, your job security/ pay raise is more important! Go ahead and fight for what you want, but to affect this many people and to pull public transportation is a bit much I think. I know not everyone will agree with me, and i am entitled to my opinion, but if this strike continues as long as last time (5 weeks) no one will be supporting the strikers!
So what i will do is post stories from years ago, or recent stories that I haven't had a chance to enter. It's been a few months since i wrote any stories so i think you deserve a few. I will also post the interesting ways I get to work, and how much of an inconvenience it is that Transit is on strike. Also feel free to post/ vent some of your frustration about the strike, i know i am not the only one that is upset.
I understand that the drivers want fair pay, job security etc. but i think all of us want job security and fair pay and to inconvenience 96,000 daily commuters to get there point across is unnecassary! And i'm not just talking about myself, what about the people who can't afford a cab and rely on the bus everyday to get to & from everywhere? What about those who can't afford a vehicle but rely on the bus to drop off their kids to daycare or school? Or how about the people who use the Access-a-bus to get to the hospital for cancer treatments? Oh wait, your job security/ pay raise is more important! Go ahead and fight for what you want, but to affect this many people and to pull public transportation is a bit much I think. I know not everyone will agree with me, and i am entitled to my opinion, but if this strike continues as long as last time (5 weeks) no one will be supporting the strikers!
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Road Rules
The other day I decided to take the ferry home instead of the bus, and while this isn't a bus or ferry story, it's what happened on the way to the ferry.
I had just left my office building and was waiting to cross the street during rush hour. There is no crosswalk at this intersection but there is a law that says any intersection, whether it is a marked crosswalk or not, it is still considered a crosswalk and traffic must stop and let pedestrians cross. So myself along with 2 other people were standing on the corner waiting for traffic to stop so we could cross, which they did. We did not just walk out in traffic, we waited patiently. We were more than half way across the street approaching the opposite curb when a middle aged lady on her bike comes flying up the bike lane, along side the stopped cars. Clearly this lady had no intentions of stopping for us. One of the people crossing the street with me could sense this and they stopped so that they wouldn't get hit, but not me. How I see it is that I am a pedestrian that waited for traffic to stop and then crossed the street not doing anything wrong, and if this lady on her bike wants to ride her bike in the bike lane and consider herself a vehicle like that rest of the cars on the road, then she will obey all laws like the rest of the cars! Why should I stop when I am doing nothing wrong? I kept walking and the lady saw me, made eye contact with me, but kept biking! She really does not give a F that she was going to hit us, or what the rules of the road are! Again I am not stopping just because one person feels they are above everyone else. Finally when the lady was about 3 feet away from me she slammed on the brakes and stopped. One of the other people crossing with me hesitated and stopped so when bike lady saw this she decided to keep on biking. However i was still walking so the lady had to slam on her brakes again! She muttered something like "jesus christ" and gave all 3 of us real nasty looks like we were in the wrong. We finally got to the sidewalk and before we even had both of our feet on the ground the lady took off on her bike muttering to herself. All 3 of us looked at each other completely bewildered and even a man in one of the stopped cars shrugged his shoulders in confusion. None of us could believe how rude this bike lady was! I yelled down the street to the biker something like "you're supposed to stop for pedestrians too you know!" out of anger. I know it was silly, but just had to say it to feel better.
The rest of the walk to the fery I was fuming mad at the lady's ignorance and how she really could think she did not have to stop for us! So I get to the ferry terminal and as I approach the waiting area, who do I see? A middle aged lady standing and waiting with her bike! Of all the space I had to stand and wait, I decided to walk right over to the lady, about a meter away and wait for my ferry. I slowly turned my head, looked over at her and smiled. I held my gaze for at least 10 seconds before slowly turning away to grab my phone to tell my friend I almsot just got run over by a cyclist. The lady said nothing, turned her head and just looked straight ahead for the rest of our wait for the ferry. I could have easily told her off right there but decided not too since there is a good chance I will see her again. There will be many more chances for me to tell her off.
I had just left my office building and was waiting to cross the street during rush hour. There is no crosswalk at this intersection but there is a law that says any intersection, whether it is a marked crosswalk or not, it is still considered a crosswalk and traffic must stop and let pedestrians cross. So myself along with 2 other people were standing on the corner waiting for traffic to stop so we could cross, which they did. We did not just walk out in traffic, we waited patiently. We were more than half way across the street approaching the opposite curb when a middle aged lady on her bike comes flying up the bike lane, along side the stopped cars. Clearly this lady had no intentions of stopping for us. One of the people crossing the street with me could sense this and they stopped so that they wouldn't get hit, but not me. How I see it is that I am a pedestrian that waited for traffic to stop and then crossed the street not doing anything wrong, and if this lady on her bike wants to ride her bike in the bike lane and consider herself a vehicle like that rest of the cars on the road, then she will obey all laws like the rest of the cars! Why should I stop when I am doing nothing wrong? I kept walking and the lady saw me, made eye contact with me, but kept biking! She really does not give a F that she was going to hit us, or what the rules of the road are! Again I am not stopping just because one person feels they are above everyone else. Finally when the lady was about 3 feet away from me she slammed on the brakes and stopped. One of the other people crossing with me hesitated and stopped so when bike lady saw this she decided to keep on biking. However i was still walking so the lady had to slam on her brakes again! She muttered something like "jesus christ" and gave all 3 of us real nasty looks like we were in the wrong. We finally got to the sidewalk and before we even had both of our feet on the ground the lady took off on her bike muttering to herself. All 3 of us looked at each other completely bewildered and even a man in one of the stopped cars shrugged his shoulders in confusion. None of us could believe how rude this bike lady was! I yelled down the street to the biker something like "you're supposed to stop for pedestrians too you know!" out of anger. I know it was silly, but just had to say it to feel better.
The rest of the walk to the fery I was fuming mad at the lady's ignorance and how she really could think she did not have to stop for us! So I get to the ferry terminal and as I approach the waiting area, who do I see? A middle aged lady standing and waiting with her bike! Of all the space I had to stand and wait, I decided to walk right over to the lady, about a meter away and wait for my ferry. I slowly turned my head, looked over at her and smiled. I held my gaze for at least 10 seconds before slowly turning away to grab my phone to tell my friend I almsot just got run over by a cyclist. The lady said nothing, turned her head and just looked straight ahead for the rest of our wait for the ferry. I could have easily told her off right there but decided not too since there is a good chance I will see her again. There will be many more chances for me to tell her off.
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Headphones please!
On my way to work and the bus is stuck in traffic. It's bad enough I can hear Party Rock Anthem blaring from the headphones of the girl sitting in front of me, but now I can hear some other noise coming from behind me. This doesn't sound like noise from headphones but noise from speakers. I turn around to see if I can find the source of noise but almost everyone is wearing headphones. Maybe someone thinks their headphones are plugged in but they aren't. No that noise is definitely coming from speakers. So who is it? I turn around and take another glance but can't figure it out. The noise sounds like it's a TV show, a guy & girl having conversation. Ok judging by the romantic sounds of it I will say it's a girl watching it and it just keeps getting louder & louder! I take another look, but this time a few people are staring at me since i have turned around a couple times now. A guy sitting across from me just took his headphones off and looked back. He mumbles something to me about the noise; he can hear it too. We both look back and there is a girl sitting directly behind him who is hunched over holding her phone in her hands staring at it. It must be her! A young guy sitting 2 seats over from her takes his headphones off, stares at her and now all 3 of us are looking around. We all look at the girl and nod to each other that it must be her. Now there are at least 2 more people taking their headphones off to see where the noise is coming from. Just to give you an idea of how loud it is, 4 different people could hear the girl's noise over the music coming from their own headphones! The young guy sitting beside her has had enough and after looking at me one final time he leans over and says to her with a not so happy look on his face "excuse me, do you not have headphones?". The girl oblivious to what she is doing and how rude it is, looks at him and giggles "oh I'm sorry", and turns it off. The guy and everyone else in the area shake their heads and go back to their business. I look at the guy , mouth a thank you, and smile.
Wow for once someone actually spoke up about another passengers lack of respect! Just really amazed at this girls ignorance.
I'm sure the signs on the bus saying no stereos, and headphones are required apply to everyone!
Wow for once someone actually spoke up about another passengers lack of respect! Just really amazed at this girls ignorance.
I'm sure the signs on the bus saying no stereos, and headphones are required apply to everyone!
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Street Cred
It's after work, I'm sitting at the back of the bus. Bus pulls up to a major bustop and at least a dozen people get on. Everyone is pushed to the back where I am to make room for more people. So there are now about 6 people standing in front of me. I'm playing with my phone trying to zone things out when the person i am with nudges me and points to a young guy standing right in front of us. He points to a tattoo on the guy's arm. I'm trying to read it but the font used is horrible and i can't tell if i am reading it upside down or what! Finally I am able to make out what it says "WOODSIDE". Oh what a lovely tattoo, the name of one our towns ghettos! Staying classy I see. So we chuckle to ourselves but its not until i continue looking him over that I see the ultimate accesory. Sideways ball cap check, baggy white shirt check, big fake blinged out watch check, hold up, is that a glow in the dark rosary around your neck! WTF it is! Holy Shit, i have never seen something so ridiculous! Nothing against the rosary but come on buddy you really expect me to believe you pray and go to church? Maybe you pray you don't get shot, but thats about it. And glow in the dark? Does this add to your street cred or something? If you're that cool, then you should not be taking the bus.
Oh how I love this town!
Oh how I love this town!
Monday, August 15, 2011
Summer Break!
I know, I know..... it's been over a month since i've had any updates on the crazy bus people. Between summer vacation & work, and taking the ferry, it's been impossible to write about anything. But vacation is over, the weather is horrible, and I am back to taking the bus again.
I have mentioned before that on the ferry nothing really weird or unbelievable happens but I have seen one or two things that made me laugh. One morning I was getting on the ferry and a lady was standing with her daughter in her stroller. That was not weird but the mother seemed weird. She ordered a muffin from the coffee stand, and after paying for it she turned around and pushed the stroller away......never taking the muffin. I bought my coffee and I was going to grab her muffin and bring it to her but before I had a chance to grab it she came back, pushing me aside and laughing hysterically muttering something about her muffin. I could say it was still early in the morning and we have all done something like that, but I think there was more to it and i'm not sure what. I watched her as she pushed the stroller and instead of standing up straight to push it, she bent over so that her back was level with the handle and pushed it like she was trying to move something that weighed 1000lbs! Maybe she was going for the ergonomic style but I highly doubt it and I also doubt the stroller weighed that much! When we got on the ferry she stood instead of taking a seat. The ferry was half empty so she had plenty of seats to choose from. So since she stood she spent most of the ride trying to keep her balance (waves were choppy) so why not take a seat?? Then she forgot to put the brakes on the stroller, turned her back for 1 minute and there goes the stroller across the aisle! Other people kept staring at her daughter and paying attention to what the girl was doing but I couldn't see her so maybe the daughter was just as weird.
Then there was the guy who obviously had trouble dressing himself for work. I got off the ferry and a young guy was walking in front of me. I have seen him on the ferry and bus for the last 4 years and know enough that Fridays are casual dress day at his office. So he had on jeans and a rugby style American Eagle shirt. How did I know it was AE? Because his shirt was on inside out! At first I thought it was one of those shirts that have the tags on the oustide on purpose, and I grumbled about how much I hate those shirts. But then I noticed the seams were also on the outside! Wait a minute! Omg, his shirt is on inside out! There it is, American Eagle XL size, for everyone to see! I sort of felt bad and wanted to tell him so to save him the embarassment when he got to work. But then again he doesn't know me, I just watch him, so I kept on walking.
The good thing about seeing these things on the ferry/ bus is that I now have quite the checklist for presenting myself as a decent/ normal person. Order coffee: do i have my coffee? Check yes! Get dressed in the morning: are my clothes on properly? Check yes!
See, simple life lessons can help make you a normal person :)
I have mentioned before that on the ferry nothing really weird or unbelievable happens but I have seen one or two things that made me laugh. One morning I was getting on the ferry and a lady was standing with her daughter in her stroller. That was not weird but the mother seemed weird. She ordered a muffin from the coffee stand, and after paying for it she turned around and pushed the stroller away......never taking the muffin. I bought my coffee and I was going to grab her muffin and bring it to her but before I had a chance to grab it she came back, pushing me aside and laughing hysterically muttering something about her muffin. I could say it was still early in the morning and we have all done something like that, but I think there was more to it and i'm not sure what. I watched her as she pushed the stroller and instead of standing up straight to push it, she bent over so that her back was level with the handle and pushed it like she was trying to move something that weighed 1000lbs! Maybe she was going for the ergonomic style but I highly doubt it and I also doubt the stroller weighed that much! When we got on the ferry she stood instead of taking a seat. The ferry was half empty so she had plenty of seats to choose from. So since she stood she spent most of the ride trying to keep her balance (waves were choppy) so why not take a seat?? Then she forgot to put the brakes on the stroller, turned her back for 1 minute and there goes the stroller across the aisle! Other people kept staring at her daughter and paying attention to what the girl was doing but I couldn't see her so maybe the daughter was just as weird.
Then there was the guy who obviously had trouble dressing himself for work. I got off the ferry and a young guy was walking in front of me. I have seen him on the ferry and bus for the last 4 years and know enough that Fridays are casual dress day at his office. So he had on jeans and a rugby style American Eagle shirt. How did I know it was AE? Because his shirt was on inside out! At first I thought it was one of those shirts that have the tags on the oustide on purpose, and I grumbled about how much I hate those shirts. But then I noticed the seams were also on the outside! Wait a minute! Omg, his shirt is on inside out! There it is, American Eagle XL size, for everyone to see! I sort of felt bad and wanted to tell him so to save him the embarassment when he got to work. But then again he doesn't know me, I just watch him, so I kept on walking.
The good thing about seeing these things on the ferry/ bus is that I now have quite the checklist for presenting myself as a decent/ normal person. Order coffee: do i have my coffee? Check yes! Get dressed in the morning: are my clothes on properly? Check yes!
See, simple life lessons can help make you a normal person :)
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