Is Ottawa Waging War on Children? (Updated)

The city of Ottawa is debating whether or not children are of lesser value than other residents, at least that is the crux of the proposal from the city’s transit committee.  The committee is suggesting new regulations be adopted that will severely restrict access to the city’s publicly subsidized bus system, OC Transpo, for parents with strollers.

This may seem like a trivial issue (and, generally speaking, I don’t discuss local concerns on ThePolitic), but there are lessons to be learned from this scenario that are applicable to politics in general.

The argument in favour of the new restrictions stems from the nuisance that large strollers can cause on crowded buses.  A fair concern, but incomplete and maliciously manipulated.  The city and OC Transpo already have rules in place to deal with the issue of strollers (and any other devices that can block aisles), however, these regulations are completely ignored by passengers and bus drivers, alike.  Further, the regulations are so ridiculously convoluted that they are, essentially, void.

If this was merely an issue of poor management, there might be an easy solution.  However, the city is being deceitful.  They are not addressing the general concern of blocked aisles; they are putting up obstacles for children and parents using strollers.  They are pitting parents against seniors and the disabled (the other people who enjoy priority seating privileges).  They are calculating that, rather than address the poor performance of the bus system and its drivers, they can just target a nuisance group and claim to be improving matters.

This entire situation is a mess.   The city has allowed the service level of OC Transpo to become alarmingly deteriorated.  Drivers, in general, demonstrate little concern for their responsibilities, their passengers and the rules of the road.  Nonetheless, when issues with OC Transpo arise, the drivers tend to get a free pass (thankfully, this was not the case last winter during a crippling strike in which the drivers were attempting to extort the city).  The city, in its infinite cowardice, does not attempt to fix the root causes of the deficiencies in OC Tranpso’s service; they just try to find scapegoats.

Perhaps the most egregious aspect of the situation is that we, the city taxpayers, are forced to pay for all this.  For some reason, it is heresy amongst some city politicians and activists to suggest that bus riders should pay the full monetary price of their bus service (they would still have the privilege of special lanes, special lights and, likely, friendly traffic cops).  So, parents of small children are forced, coerced, to give their money to the city to fund a service for which they will be arbitrarily excluded from using.  Their children are deemed less worthy, less meaningful, than other people.  Sure, it’s no caste system, but it’s not exactly the liberal ideal of equality, either.

It kinda makes you think that we shouldn’t have a mass subsidized transit company.

Sadly, there is probably little that can be done.  The mismanagement of this city is in full stride.  We haven’t had a competent mayor (or mayoral candidate) since Jim Watson, and this council doesn’t have the best record of acting responsibly.  I’m guessing they’ll keep confiscating our money and kicking us off the bus.

For those in Ottawa who are free tomorrow morning, there will be a rally at City Hall.

By the way, before anyone decides to make this personal, though I own a stroller, I have never used it, even when riding a city bus.  I have a mild hatred for large strollers and would love for most people to abandon them.  However, that’s not the point.  The point is, citizens should not have their money taken to support a government service, then be arbitrarily discriminated against by the government in delivery of that service.

UPDATE: The city transit committee has decided against adopting the new policy.  From The Ottawa Citizen:

After hearing from parents who said that folding the strollers would be cumbersome and difficult, especially in winter, the committee instead passed a motion Wednesday that states open strollers are allowed in the aisle “unless they interfere with other passengers or with the safe movement of passengers within the transit vehicle.”

The decision to allow an open stroller in the aisle will be left to the driver, as is the case now. Wheelchairs will receive priority in wheelchair spaces.

…

Councillor Georges Bédard, who put forward the motion to continue allowing strollers in the aisle, said he thought it was unreasonable for parents to have to fold their strollers if there is room on a bus and an area where they can access the aisle without impeding passengers or affecting safety.

“It’s always difficult when you’re trying to operate a system that sometimes becomes overburdened with too many people. We have to somehow make provisions to allow for as much accessibility as possible, but also ensure that everything works safely.”

Committee chairman Alex Cullen, one of two councillors to vote against Bédard’s motion, said the committee was faced with a dilemma.

“Obviously, the complaints will continue, but we’ll just have to learn to get along,” he said.

This seems quite sensible to me, and it’s nice that Mr. Cullen has realized – albeit after the fact – that co-operation is probably the best course of action.  Hopefully, the publicity that the issue has generated will make people more aware of the regulations currently in place and make them more sensitive to the needs of other riders, whether they have strollers or not.

Oh, and, naturally, if this leads to a renaissance in superlative bus service in Ottawa, I will be willing to share the credit with Georges Bédard.