Transit officials have figured out how to stop Ottawa’s light rail trains from breaking down in inclement weather. The solution was simple: stop the service when bad conditions are forecast.

At least this approach is consistent. Ottawa’s articulated buses (the ones that bend in the middle) no longer run on snowy days. That is more than half the fleet.

Buses that aren’t running can’t get stuck in the snow. It is a brilliant solution.

If course it means service cutbacks, but it isn’t as if transit riders aren’t used to those already. Given that on good weather days the buses frequently don’t show up, who is going to notice?

In the same way, a train not running can’t break down. Of course, when the train isn’t running OC Transpo is supposed to use replacement buses so customers aren’t stranded.

But they don’t have enough replacement buses. Once again transit riders are reminded that while a car is more expensive, it is much more reliable.

As is traditional here, no-one will beheld accountable for building a public transit system that can’t handle Ottawa weather. After all, it takes a special kind of person to suggest that rather than fixing the problem, they should instead deliver a reduced service. Or even no service.