[noctis]

Why don't you suggest we ban food and drinks in all public spaces to clean up our City and streets? If not, what makes standing in a subway station that different than standing on the sidewalk at a bus stop?

Honestly that is a great idea, but who is willing to do it? Just you and me? Everybody's gotta pitch in right? If fact, I can make a poll right now and see who's willing to take a stand on this, and I can guarantee you that not many will say yes. Why? People just don't care! It's a free country, you can do whatever you want and whenever you want.

I know 3.5 hours is a long commute, but you can still have some food while you wait or change trains etc. All I am asking is not to eat ON the subways, buses, etc. Drinking water is fine...and some of you mentioned breastfeeding, that is fine too...

Anyways, maybe I should have changed the title of this topic to: "Should food and drinks (water excluded) be banned on transit systems?"

 

[dlam]

have you guys been to Seoul, South Korea? There are hardly any waste bins on the streets, people just simply keep their waste in their pockets until they get home. think outside the box.

 

[SlickFranky]

There was a homeless guy on the subway last night tearing apart a jamaican patty, dropping all the pieces on the floor. Then he moved across the car to another seat and continued dropping chunks over there. When I got off he hadn't eaten a single bite and was holding a small, smelly clump of patty "meat" in his hand. Something tells me the ended up on the floor too... It was pretty gross.

That said, I will never support banning food on the TTC. Fine litterers. Shame and ostracize inconsiderate eaters. But don't treat the rest of us like children. I'm a grown-ass man, and I want a travel mug of coffee on my way to work sometimes.

 

[Mapleson]

It's a free country, you can do whatever you want and whenever you want.

I know 3.5 hours is a long commute, but you can still have some food while you wait or change trains etc. All I am asking is not to eat ON the subways, buses, etc. Drinking water is fine...and some of you mentioned breastfeeding, that is fine too...

Anyways, maybe I should have changed the title of this topic to: "Should food and drinks (water excluded) be banned on transit systems?"

Freedom isn't free nor is it boundless, but that's besides the point. I personally find the TTC stations to be dirtier than the subway/buses, so I find it suprising you'd not count the transit system as one whole. Due the greyhound leg of my journey, if I delayed in my route at all it'd take 5-7 hours as the buses are an hour apart and we'd get stuck in traffic on the 401. If I was eatting at a station and my bus/subway came, I would get on and finish up rather than have a two-minute snack make my journey two-hours longer. My other choice would be to throw away half of my $7 sandwich.

I think one low-cost solution would be to have more trash/recycling bins on the vehicles themselves. If there is a trashcan at the bus door, I'd be a lot more likely to use it than carry my garbage off or leave it behind on a seat.

have you guys been to Seoul, South Korea? There are hardly any waste bins on the streets, people just simply keep their waste in their pockets until they get home. think outside the box.

That seems to be different than what Seoul is acutally doing. In 2008, they doubled the number of trash bins (http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2008/04/117_22871.html).

According to the city government, the plan will increase the number of bins to 7,600, about double the current number. The bins will be installed at the entrances of metro stations, bus stops, zebra crossings and places where littering was often a problem.

They will be spread out about one every 230 meters at city locations, making them easily accessible. Also, their appearance will be more environmentally friendly, the city spokesman said.

The government's decision came 13 years after its initial policy to reduce the number of bins was announced. The idea was that people should deal with their own waste themselves and promoted the then adopted volume-rate garbage system.

However, many voices have been raised requesting the city government install more dustbins on the streets. According to The Hope Institute, 56.5 percent of 310 people surveyed said they have littered on the streets mostly because they couldn't find bins or saw a pile of trash without a bin. Then, 57 percent said the city needs more dustbins.

 

[vic]

Giambrone answered this question over at Torontoist a while back:
http://torontoist.com/2010/10/rocket_talk_why_doesnt_the_ttc_ban_food.php

...with a comment thread not unlike this one.

 

[junctionist]

Unless you are giving officers (police or by-law) a quota, you are spending money on enforcement. Is that where we really want police to be investigating? I'd rather trim back the police force and TTC by-law in with the other similar City enforcement groups and make them use public transit on route to their next inspection/enforcement location. You cover the TTC network while using wasted time of other public employees.

That's a good idea about getting those employees on the TTC and doing enforcement. Enforcement is important no matter how it's done, and I think the problem of littering would eventually decline to levels that wouldn't require much money spent on it.