On a normal LRT, Angela Counter’s trip would take between 55 and 70 minutes
A person who travels from Parliament station to Orléans says that it takes her about twice as long to get to and from work every day.
On Tuesday, the LRT had been closed for nine days. All In A DayHalima Sogbesan went with Angela Counter on her trip home so she could see what it was like for herself.
The whole trip took almost two hours, including the time it took to walk to and from the bus stop and ride the buses for an hour and 42 minutes.
The most surprising thing about the trip was that, by Counter’s standards, it wasn’t that bad, even though she had to wait 30 minutes at Blair for her bus.
“Over time, you get used to a lower standard,” Counter said. “So when there are pleasant surprises, it seems better than it really is.”
She said that when the LRT doesn’t work, she has rented an Airbnb in the downtown area. Counter is now looking into car-sharing and e-bikes because she doesn’t trust the public transportation system.
“I’m sure they’re trying, but it’s shocking that after four years it’s still this bad,” she said. “I have lost so much faith in the system that I think my view of it has changed a lot.”
Timeline of a long commut
The commute began at the R1 bus stop near Parliament station, where 10 to 15 people were already waiting. Counter got on a bus that didn’t have wheels that moved in different directions.
Counter said that the wait wasn’t too bad because she was able to get on the first bus that came by instead of having to wait because there wasn’t room.
She said that the bus she took that morning from her home to Blair station was articulated, but there were only 14 people on it. The R1 she caught at Blair, on the other hand, was not moving and had about 60 people on it.
“Why are the articulated buses still going on the small routes?” asked the counter.
After getting on the bus, it took 15 minutes to get to the University of Ottawa, which was just two stops away on the LRT.
The bus went on to St-Laurent station, where Counter wondered why it took so long to get to some stations. On this trip, it took about seven or eight minutes to get into and out of St-Laurent.
Counter said that the bus ride from Parliament to Blair usually takes between 25 and 30 minutes, but she never knows how long it will be.
“I don’t know what the word means. On the R1, sometimes it takes a long time and sometimes it’s fine. “This was a good ride,” she told Sogbesan. She also said that the trip takes longer than it did before the LRT opened, when express buses were used.
At Blair, they have to wait 30 minutes for Counter’s bus, which is something she could usually avoid since the LRT’s schedule is more reliable.
When they say goodbye, it will have been 1 hour and 42 minutes since they met, not counting the time she spent walking to and from the bus stop at each end of her trip. Overall, the trip took almost two hours, when it used to take only one.
Less time with her kid
Counter said that this most recent LRT shutdown, along with many others, has messed up some of the most important parts of her life.
“If I’m on the bus, I’m not with my kids,” Counter said, adding that she’s changed her whole schedule to make up for the extra commute.
“I will continue to leave too early, like I did this morning, and I will probably leave work too early, like I did this afternoon.”
Counter said that one of the hardest parts of her commute is knowing that she has to do it all over again the next day.
“That’s a lot. She said, “It’s too long.” “I’m tired and ready to be home.”