quote:

Originally posted by MarkT + insurance, + gas, + regular maintenance, + unforseen repairs, + plate stickers, etc

The $500 included insurance, gas, oil changes but not repairs. Considering my car is brand new i shouldnt have to worry about that for awhile anyways. Besides, for a little bit more money i save much more time. And since time is money, let's say $20 an hour, that adds up quickly as well.

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quote:

Originally posted by jester Everything in this country is illegal.

"Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery…" Winston Churchill

‎"If you have ten thousand regulations you destroy all respect for the law" - Winston Churchill

quote:

Originally posted by drgoodvibe i've got a metropass and it's a 10 min walk for me to Finch station, I go, sit on the train, and read my book - then a 30Min ride straight to the bottom of my building.. Compared to my car which would cost $20/per day for parking? I do have a car which I drive only on weekends, or when i'm going out and will stay later then subway will be open. Just the parking cost is enough for me to not bother. Forget about the traffic, the environment, and ensuing road rage!!

well your looking yor on a subway line
subway lines are fast
its waiting for buses and connecting buses that kill you
you ever notice while waiting for a bus three or so going by the other way

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Originally posted by Carney well your looking yor on a subway line subway lines are fast its waiting for buses and connecting buses that kill you you ever notice while waiting for a bus three or so going by the other way

in all honesty the proximity to the main subway line effected where I chose to live. I just simply won't live somewhere that's a distance away.

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quote:

Originally posted by drgoodvibe in all honesty the proximity to the main subway line effected where I chose to live. I just simply won't live somewhere that's a distance away.

That makes sense, but it's hardly a valid option for everyone, considering that so many take the TTC because they can't afford the car (so obviously they can't afford to pick and choose where to live).

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quote:

Originally posted by DigiNut That makes sense, but it's hardly a valid option for everyone, considering that so many take the TTC because they can't afford the car (so obviously they can't afford to pick and choose where to live).

I really wasn't generalizing about everyone, heh, (since you don't live close to the main subway line your shit out of luck), no that's not what I meant. It was in response to a comment that I assumed was soley towards me.

I'm sure there are some who simply cannot afford that option of living nearby to a station.

EDIT: not just afford, but matter of circumstance, and so on and so on.

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quote:

Originally posted by drgoodvibe

common no need for roll eyes, a very good friend of mine works for the ttc for over 15 years, he's been a driver, but two years ago he decided to switch to supervisor only to get out of the union, which isn't exactly fair, yep supervisors are not under the same protection they can get fired.

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Originally posted by Jayx1 The $500 included insurance, gas, oil changes but not repairs. Considering my car is brand new i shouldnt have to worry about that for awhile anyways. Besides, for a little bit more money i save much more time. And since time is money, let's say $20 an hour, that adds up quickly as well.

I see what you're saying...but very few people, even with new cars, have other costs...you just don't consciously account for them (like your plate sticker). Factor in routine maintenance (other than oil changes), (hopefully) a set of winter tires, etc...nevermind unforseen non-warranty repair items...parking if you come downtown...get into an accident and there's insurance deducitbles, etc.

ie. adding up insurance + payments + gas is going to be low for the majority of people, while a Metropass is your only cost PERIOD.

(I'm buying a car despite living DT...I'm not arguing that it's not WAY more convenient...just that it's more expensive for most people than is being suggested)

ideally there's going to be some integration in the near future between GO, TTC and surrounding transit providers...as the example you provide of paying Oakville transit, GO and TTC is a ridiculous obstacle to getting people to use transit vs driving.

but...I won't hold my breath on that integration coming terribly soon That's a *perfect* example where the various levels of gov't should be stepping up with subsidies...ie. you buy an Oakville Pass, Go Pass and TTC pass and you get a big discount or rebate.

This is what i require for me to abandon my car and take transit.

No more than 30% extra time to get where i want to go AT ANY TIME OF DAY OR NIGHT. Half the cost of my car... id be willing to pay $150 or so a month for transit if it worked well. Seamless transit systems. Its pathetic that you have to change busses just because you are entering mississauga. Until these things are acheived i will be using my car no matter how many highways you tear down.

And what i suggest isnt unreasonable. It's how most of the world gets around.

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quote:

Originally posted by jester Everything in this country is illegal.

"Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery…" Winston Churchill

‎"If you have ten thousand regulations you destroy all respect for the law" - Winston Churchill

I live at the very end of the bus route on Islington, so to get downtown it's about 15+ minutes to get to the station, then another 40 to get to Dundas station, for example. The buses are rarely on time here by my house, especially during the day. Sundays they're pretty punctual, but I wish they did a better job of getting here on time from 10am-3pm.

quote:

Originally posted by Jayx1 This is what i require for me to abandon my car and take transit. No more than 30% extra time to get where i want to go AT ANY TIME OF DAY OR NIGHT. Half the cost of my car... id be willing to pay $150 or so a month for transit if it worked well. Seamless transit systems. Its pathetic that you have to change busses just because you are entering mississauga. Until these things are acheived i will be using my car no matter how many highways you tear down. And what i suggest isnt unreasonable. It's how most of the world gets around.

Yea...where I'm from, Warsaw, the transportation system is heavily based around buses and streetcars. When someone is using it for the first time then it may seem really intimidating but after you get used to it it's actually a very well thought-out system. You have numerous ways to get to one destination, so if you miss one bus there's always a different route to take. You're never really stranded at the stop for 30 minutes waiting for the next bus just because the driver took off a minute early.

Also, the connections are thoughtout much better. Going into the downtown core from a suburb is very well thoughtout. You usually have one bus that takes you more into the city; at which point you get off and within 10 minutes you have about 5-6 different buses coming by. Works very well.

Last edited by infinity HiGH on Mar-10-2005 at 23:12

quote:

Originally posted by djeso common no need for roll eyes, a very good friend of mine works for the ttc for over 15 years, he's been a driver, but two years ago he decided to switch to supervisor only to get out of the union, which isn't exactly fair, yep supervisors are not under the same protection they can get fired.

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quote:

Originally posted by MarkT I see what you're saying...but very few people, even with new cars, have other costs...you just don't consciously account for them (like your plate sticker). Factor in routine maintenance (other than oil changes), (hopefully) a set of winter tires, etc...nevermind unforseen non-warranty repair items...parking if you come downtown...get into an accident and there's insurance deducitbles, etc. ie. adding up insurance + payments + gas is going to be low for the majority of people, while a Metropass is your only cost PERIOD. (I'm buying a car despite living DT...I'm not arguing that it's not WAY more convenient...just that it's more expensive for most people than is being suggested)

This is all true, but as Jay said, time is money and that's something all too commonly left out of the TTC vs. car discussion. If you make $20 an hour and you waste on average an hour a day on surface transport (subways are another story but they only cover a tiny fraction of the GTA), that'll add up to about $5000 a year. I'd say it pretty much takes care of those other car maintenance things you're talking about.

I'm not saying that it isn't far less expensive to use the TTC than to own a car. I'm just saying that personal finance involves more than just cold hard up-front cash, and a lot of people overstate the financial advantage of taking the TTC because they have a poor understanding of economics. Wasted time may not be "real" money, but I'm sure that you're well aware of the concept of opportunity cost and so is everyone else who knows the first thing about business.

Now, if you know that you're a couch potato who won't do anything with that extra time, then sure, the financial incentive for taking the TTC is huge. But as for me, I honestly don't think I could live my life at all having to waste 2+ hours getting to and from work every day, let alone live comfortably.

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2009-06-18 - DJ Annoying @ People Need To Know Where I'll Be
2012-11-32 - DJ Insufferable ɸ Or At Least the Stalkers I Complain About
2048-06-66 - Spastic & Whocares ¶ Although I'm Actually Flattered
9999-45-81 - Tweaker Gimp ☼ I Probably Won't Even Go To This But I Have To Make Sure I Fill Up All The Available Space Here

quote:

Originally posted by drgoodvibe

Lol Evil Beh

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