It goes without saying that public transit is good for the city — the only reason I’m saying it now is because I think that because of this, some of us feel guilty complaining about it. It’s almost as though there’s a “you’re either with us or against us” mentality out there, which doesn’t just emanate from some people within the TTC, but TTC supporters and transit lovers at large.

But it’s because public transit is so important that we should complain about it as well as celebrate it. If our public transit system is not providing reasonable service, people will be tempted to stop using it, and many of them will instead opt for driving a car. More frustrating, however, is the feeling that because the TTC is so essential (and knows it), customers’ needs and comforts don’t have to be attended to so scrupulously. What other options do many TTC commuters have?

Maybe it’s just me, but rage against the TTC seems to be growing. Even a couple transit advocates I know are now threatening to cut up their Metropasses in protest of too many late streetcars, overcrowded buses and unaccommodating drivers and staff.

Last weekend, the Toronto Star kicked off a series called "The Broken Way," which has unleashed much discussion on the state of Toronto’s public transit and debate on what, if anything, should be done about it. Is the TTC as bad as it’s often made out to be or should we be taking its leaders to task for poor service? For those who haven’t been following the articles and ensuing discussion, I present a timeline of recent events.

SATURDAY
The Fixer, a.k.a. Toronto Star columnist Jack Lackey, publishes a larger-than-usual column on the dirty, leaky and decaying transit stations that the TTC’s loyal riders have been complaining about. Grievances range from leaking ceilings that provide for “indoor rainstorms” to disgusting washrooms to litter-strewn floors to weekend vomit on bus platforms that isn’t cleaned up until Tuesday or Wednesday.

A former TTC janitor who asked not to be named tells Lackey that there is a “culture of apathy and laziness among TTC staff…. Sleeping, playing Frisbee across the tracks, two-hour-long smoke breaks, all of these are not uncommon. Heck, I've seen afternoon shift employees go watch movies at Cineplex in the middle of their shifts." A current staff member argues that TTC riders are partly to blame for not taking pride in the stations. TTC Chair Adam Giambrone says the stations are, in fact, cleaner; the public just hasn’t registered it yet.

Writes Lakey: “We're not doing this [article] just to dump on the TTC or proffer outrageous quotes. We're hoping it will compel the TTC and the city councillors who oversee it to take the problem more seriously and move it much higher up on the list of priorities.”

Transit guru/geek Steve Munro weighs in on the issue on his website. Comments follow.

MONDAY
Today’s regular Fixer column takes the piss out of the state of the TTC’s public washrooms. An excerpt: “Riders needing to sit in a stall in the men's room at Finch station had better hope to win the toilet paper lottery. Of the three stalls, the toilet paper dispenser in one was fully loaded, while the other two had been torn from the wall  — and not recently, by the look of them.”

Meanwhile, letters to the editor start pouring in. “The conditions on Toronto’s transit system are appalling, but what’s even more appalling are the responses from TTC officials, including chair Adam Giambrone,” writes Mario Bonifacio. “I strongly suggest that Councillor Adam Giambrone listen to customers and act on their concerns instead of trying to make excuses,” says Norma Nicholson. “If you think Toronto’s subway stations are dirty and crumbing, try the transit vehicles,” offers Austin Guerin.

Those who want to express TTC-related dissatisfaction beyond dirty stations do so in response to a post on BlogTO, which showcases a video from the transit union’s "Worth a Million" campaign. The video, hosted by NDP MP Marilyn Churley, explains what would happen if transit disappeared (think: what would happen if there were a strike.)

TUESDAY
The star runs an editorial aptly titled: “Not the Better Way.” “They should re-name it: The Shabbier Way,” the Star says. “Giambrone insisted that facilites are now cleaner than in the past, but people are somehow failing to “register” the improvement. Really? It is hard to mistake clean for filthy, a moving escalator for one that’s stalled, or a broken toilet for one that flushes.”

WEDNESDAY
The Fixer takes a look at Kipling Subway Station: “Kipling was described in one email as a ‘war zone’ and it lived up to that billing. The washrooms could be smelled 20 metres away. A half-dozen buckets were scattered at the concourse level to catch water leaking from the roof, with at least as many puddles forming in other places. To deal with the water leaking above a staircase, a large sign was placed in a janitor’s garbage cart and ingeniously angled to funnel the water into the cart.”

“…A transit employee told us several small firs are ignited each week wne trash comes into contact with the electrified third rail. More on that this Saturday.”