A hundred steps ahead Helen Mirren stars in The Hundred Foot Journey >> pg. 5
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WESTERN UNIVERSITY • CANADA’S ONLY DAILY STUDENT NEWSPAPER • FOUNDED 1906
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2014
VOLUME 108, ISSUE 27
High turnout in advance polls
>> ELECTION ISSUES 2014 • PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION
Hamza Tariq NEWS EDITOR @HamzaAtGazette
Taylor Lasota • GAZETTE
Olivia Zollino NEWS EDITOR @uwogazette
Taking the bus is a twice-daily event for many students — and so is complaining about London Transit Commission’s service. Having a full bus drive past you, among other things, is a reality many students and citizens have become all too familiar with. One of the main challenges the LTC faces is that it is notoriously underfunded in comparison to other municipal transit systems. As a result, quality of service has suffered in the process. With an operating budget of around $68 million, Larry Ducharme, general manager of the LTC, stated the fundamental problem with the LTC is that they have a 200,000-service hour deficit. The service of the LTC has yet to catch up with the demands placed upon it. This is especially evident during peak-hours, when many popular routes quickly fill to capacity. Bus drivers have little other options than to drive by passengers. With Western University welcoming its largest incoming freshman class this year, ridership is only going to grow from here, which means a greater strain on an already strained and underfunded system. It is worth noting that Western students pay exceptionally less for
access to the LTC. Because of LTC’s deal with the University Students’ Council, full-time students pay a fraction of the price for their annual passes, which are included in ancillary fees. That doesn’t mean service — and students — should suffer as a result. However, something has to give. That “something” as it stands, has been those who expect a prompt and reliable transit system. Jen Carter, vice-president external for the USC, stated that other municipal transit systems in Canadian cities comparable to London receive three times the amount of funding. “Ridership over the past several years has increased, but investment into the LTC has not followed,” Carter said. “All of these things have resulted in crowded buses and students left on the side of the road.” So where does the LTC go from here? Carter suggested that increasing the number of buses at peak times would be a start to addressing service and improve transit options for Western students. But at the end of the day, it all boils down to money. And evidently, the LTC doesn’t have enough of it to fund the growing demand. “We had a ridership growth to service hour growth of six-to-one, and you can’t get six out of one,” Ducharme said.
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WHAT WARD 6 CANDIDATES ARE SAYING “I think the LTC does the best it can with the existing funding. I support the Bus Rapid Transit plan.” Alasdair Beaton “Express bus lanes, for example along Richmond Street, have been talked about for years but never put in place because of the monetary cost. Yet there are non-monetary costs such as air quality, people’s time and quality of life. I believe it is past time to find the funding to develop a good public transit system.” Marie Blosh “The transit system needs a complete overhaul. Although the buses seem to work well for getting to/from downtown and to/from Western and Fanshawe, it does not work for the general public. London is designed on a grid pattern, and so we should have express cross-town busses with regional neighbourhood routes.” Mike Bloxam “Transit was so important in my last campaign… I want more buses, longer hours and expanded routes. I want it affordable to everyone so that it becomes less attractive to use our personal vehicles as much as we do.” Cynthia Etheridge “London needs a world-class transit system … I think we need to invest in rapid transit, provide more routes and smarter service to make the LTC a viable alternative to driving and an easy way for students to get out of the Western bubble and into the community.” • Amir Farahi
“Our transit system is outdated and inefficient. We need to look at a system overhaul and need to review current routes and ridership to determine where we need more support, etc. We also need to implement a rapid transit bus system and look at implementing a program to have high school students take the bus to school.” Phil Squire
WHAT STUDENTS ARE SAYING “During peak hours, there should be more buses running. They tend to get really packed.” Shonagh Clark Business “I wish there would be more space (on the buses) since they’re always packed … more frequent buses.” Miral Malik Psychology “I like the LTC. I find the bus [ride] relaxing. They come often, so I’m never late.” Heather Somers MOS “Outside of the Western gates, it’s difficult to catch a bus. They’re usually already full.” Jessica Tomarchio Psychology “I think their priorities are set in the wrong routes. I’ll sit at the bus stop and I’ll see three number two’s backto-back go, but I’m sitting half an hour for my own bus … the majority of them are empty too.” Alex White Computer Science
Higher voter turnout was the highlight of the advance polls for London’s municipal elections last week. The advance polls were held at various locations around the city, including at the University Community Centre at Western. The voter turnout in the advance polls last week was 40.5 per cent higher when compared to the 2010 elections. “It is likely a combination of a number of factors that impacted the turnout,” Cathy Saunders, London city clerk, said. Saunders noted some of the likely reasons for the higher turnout were voters’ interest in the elections, increased number of advance polling locations and days, increased coverage by the media, increased communication by the City of London and good weather. Saunders said however that voter turnout at the UCC location was disappointing. Only 378 out of the total 16,180 votes were cast at the university. >> see POLLS pg.2
Inside
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Meet the Seven Fighting for Six: Alasdair Beaton • P2 October Mayor Madness: Joe Swan
• P3
Play review: Blue Suede Shoes • P4 NDP didn’t consider the kids Men’s hockey victorious… … Football team not
• Family and Cosmetic Dentistry • • New and Emergency Patients Welcome • • Insurance Plans Accepted for Direct Payment •
www.dentalstudiolondon.com
• P6 •P7 • P8