Apparently Kevin Costner wasn’t completely accurate in the movie Field of Dreams when he said “if you build it they will come.” The Ottawa version is “we have built it, and we are going to make sure you come. You have no choice”

Ottawa’s transit provider, OC Transpo, unveiled a complete revamping of its system a little more than a month ago. I was tempted to comment then, but decided I should wait and see if my first impressions were right. Certainly they hadn’t made the system worse, I must be wrong.

I wasn’t.

Ten years ago I could get from my house to my office downtown in about 30 minutes. Now, after ten years of improvements and the addition of light rail, it takes 45 minutes most days. Sometimes longer, rarely less.

A decade ago visitors could get from the airport to downtown hotels on one bus that took about 45 minutes. Now it takes much longer, three different trains. Try that when you have a lot of luggage. So much for improvements.

I used to have options, three different bus routes that would whisk me downtown on a dedicated road. Now there is only one bus that takes me not downtown but to the train. It doesn’t run as often, seats are at a premium and the trip takes longer.

News reports would indicate that I am not the only one who has noticed that the new service is no improvement. And OC Transpo has no plans to fix the problem. Transit users just need to adjust. Big Brother has spoken.

Their idea is to funnel all passengers to the nearest light rail station. After spending more than five billion dollars on the train, they want to make sure people are riding it. Even if it is inconvenient. (And let’s not talk about the breakdowns.)

I understand the concept. But shouldn’t a transit system be run to the benefit of those who use it? How does lengthening a commute, and an unreliable service (buses frequently don’t appear as scheduled) encourage people to take public transit?

I like taking the bus. It gives me a chance to read, or to write a blog post. This one was written on the light rail trip home. Public transit is better for the environment and cheaper than paying for downtown parking.

Recently though I have been wavering in my support. Waiting 20 minutes for a train to move, or for a bus that doesn’t show up, will do that. I have access to a parking spot on Parliament Hill if I want it. Paying for a downtown parking spot isn’t an issue.

Maybe there is more stress reduction in reliable personal transport than trusting myself to the route planners at OC Transpo, who obviously have never traveled the system they designed.

With the latest route changes, they may be able to force me to take their train, but maybe I should reconsider public transit in general.

As transit ridership numbers keep dropping, I know I am not alone