Ottawa's Odd

I've taken some more pictures that I hope to upload onto this blog sometime soon. After work last weekend I had to go down town and get change for bus fare. Is it just me, or do they seem to raise the fare almost every year? Hopefully they won't go on strike again, anytime soon, anyway.

Ottawa has the highest public transportation fares in Canada and really it is no better than anywhere else in Canada. We finally got a LRT train, but it doesn't go to high traffic areas. When they were going to expand it, they had it mapped out for places that don't really need public transit because they are rural areas like Manotick. People moved out there to get AWAY from the city, not to be followed by it. So they had a contract that got canceled by the government and now they have to pay over 1 million dollars to the company they canceled with. And we STILL have yet to get a REAL TRAIN.

In Toronto they have the subways. We just have buses and the not-so-useful O-train. I've been on it, but I don't use it often because I don't go to Southkeys often.

I think they should have put the O-train from Orleans to Kanata. There are buses that go out there, but they really need a faster route. Even if they put the train along the QEW.... It would still be faster.

I think that Ottawa's city planners are mostly messed up. The traffic issues are one thing, but just the way the city is laid out calls for better strategic planning. The traffic lights are not synchronized. What I mean is that you're waiting at a red light just to get to another red light. By the time you get to go, the next light you get to turns red.

Driving down town with all the one-way streets is a nightmare. Often you have to go around a few blocks just because you missed one turn or something. If it weren't for all the one-ways, it would take like five minutes to drive through down town. They always say that it's congested. Could the one-ways have anything to do with it? I think so.

Ottawa has too many things like art galleries and things we don't need. There are over 30 art galleries. Ottawa gives money to artists and special interest groups, but then they say they have no money for social programs. I mean programs that actually help people. There are programs like 'Housing Help' where they help you find a place to rent. They need more employment type resources.

I've lived in Ottawa all my life, but to me, it's just odd. I mean very odd. Just how most people are in this city. They say that Canadians are friendly, but I don't feel that Ottawa is in the top ten friendly cities. I hear places like Edmonton are more friendly than Ottawa. And Ottawa has to have some of the worst drivers in the country.