Well, Toronto public transit commuters… I hope you have your bikes and in-line skates ready, because all workers from the Toronto Transit Commission are on strike (since 12:01am this morning). I feel sorry for all the people who went down to the entertainment district to enjoy a nice Friday night, only to leave the clubs and realizing that they were basically stranded (the Yonge bus line is a popular route since it runs 24 hours from downtown). I could imagine taxis had a lot of service last night. According to the article reported by CityNews:

Nearly two-thirds of the 9,000 TTC workers eligible to vote rejected the deal, which would have given them a three per cent wage hike over the next three years, as well as other benefits and improvements Mayor David Miller termed “fair.”

Personally, I’m getting really tired of relying on a service that is so unpredictable. It seems like every year there’s a strike possibility. It’s a good thing that today wasn’t a work day for me, otherwise I’d have to shell out $40 to get to work. I did have a volunteer shift at HotDocs today (which I had to cancel obviously), plus needed to meet up with my friend after the Raptors game, but it looks like those plans are out of the window. Speaking of the Raptors games, I fathom that a lot of people are going to be scrambling for transportation to get to the Air Canada Centre for game 4 of the playoffs, as well as to BMO field to see the Toronto FC soccer club.

Note that there was promises of a 48 hour notice for any impending strike… but last night’s came as a surprise for many people. Bob Kinnear, ATU Local 113 President gave this reason:

We have assessed the situation and decided that we will not expose our members to the dangers of assaults from angry and irrational members of the public. The reports from our members of increases in threats and abuse from passengers last weekend, after we gave our original 48-hours’ notice, has left us no choice but to withdraw our services immediately. We have a legal responsibility to protect the safety of our members and so does the TTC.

Check out this link for more details and TTC media releases about the contract. CP24.com has a good list of 10 alternatives for people who relied on the TTC, but can’t now because of the strike. Right now, I’m favouring #6 (although I do need to head to the nearest Canadian Tire, and that’s about a 40 minute walk away). As what most people in Toronto already know: TTC = Take The Car. I just wish I owned on right about now…