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Yes, idling, each with an operator, who makes in the range of $30 an hour, on good days not driving anywhere. You do the math. Ottawa council, by the way, declared a climate emergency in 2019.

And now for a Station break.

It’s becoming clear there are basic problems with the design of some of the LRT stations. Tunney’s has had scaffolding and plywood added to protect passengers from the winter elements, like some hermit shack. Hurdman’s sidewalks were too small. To combat icy slippage, mats are being tossed about at Lyon, Parliament and Rideau, and anti-skid coatings are being applied elsewhere. Like winter was a giant surprise.

Overcrowding on platforms, which appear to be too small? “I actually, on a daily basis, fear for my safety,” said commissioner Sarah Wright-Gilbert, a regular user of the east-end Blair station, where bus shelter removal is being contemplated to make space for humans.

Concluded commissioner Anthony Carricato: “The stations are not designed with people in mind.”

The commission was told, in a related vein, that some 500 hanger-straps are on the way to help short (?) passengers stay steady on the train. This will outfit about half the fleet.

Uh-oh, they’re getting organized.

A new group called Ottawa Transit Riders is turning into “a thing”, as the cool kids like to say. Only formed earlier this year, it has seven board members and they’re wide-awake and watching. They know their stuff, especially at street level.