Cleanliness and Upkeep of Subway Stations

[vivablue5215]

I'm not sure if this is normal for a TTC station but I saw rats on the northbound tracks at Summerhill Station yesterday (I was staring at the front, because that's the only place there is left. Subway was crushloaded).

[Orion VIII]

My parents rode the subway for the first time since July today and asked what the orange slime was on the tracks

[Scott M.]

The thing is, when there were garbage pails at track level there the stations were signifigantly cleaner. The major decline only happened when they removed them.

They need to put them back.

[Archer]

The thing is, when there were garbage pails at track level there the stations were signifigantly cleaner. The major decline only happened when they removed them.

They need to put them back.

As someone who worked when they were there and when they weren't, there really isn't much difference in the amount of garbage on the platforms from then to now. It's a little harder to dispose of because there are less garbage cans for a jaintor to utilize, but the amount that they pick up is generally the same as it has been for the past few years.

[leylandvictory2]

I'm not sure if this is normal for a TTC station but I saw rats on the northbound tracks at Summerhill Station yesterday (I was staring at the front, because that's the only place there is left. Subway was crushloaded).

yes it is normal to see rats at track levels.

[6688]

The one thing I have noticed about the new bins is lack of support at the bottom of the bag. In high traffic stations, the bags rip at the bottom. Especially with the newspaper bags. I think they should have at least left those big blue newspaper disposal boxes. It's also apparent that people don't know the difference between recycling, and garbage. Despite the blue box program being around for many, many years...

[Archer]

The one thing I have noticed about the new bins is lack of support at the bottom of the bag. In high traffic stations, the bags rip at the bottom. Especially with the newspaper bags. I think they should have at least left those big blue newspaper disposal boxes. It's also apparent that people don't know the difference between recycling, and garbage. Despite the blue box program being around for many, many years...

That's still a problem? Damn. We (the full time and summer janitors) brought that up to management multiple times as a health and safety problem, and I'm dissapointed to see they've ignored us... but not surprised one bit.

[6688]

That's still a problem? Damn. We (the full time and summer janitors) brought that up to management multiple times as a health and safety problem, and I'm dissapointed to see they've ignored us... but not surprised one bit.

I see it at Victoria Park Station on a very regular basis. It's quite bad to see the newspapers all over the floor underneath the bins and overflowing over the top. Maybe the JHSC hasn't ignored you, but rather the wheels need greasing and are just turning very slowly as they "investigate" a "possible solution"...

[2044]

No TTC stations meet cleanliness standard

A TTC study assessing the cleanliness of all its subway stations has found that none of them meet the transit agency's own standards.

The TTC's cleanliness audit, conducted in May, evaluated stations on a scale of one to five.

Level one is defined as "unkempt neglect," while five has been labelled "orderly spotlessness."

The TTC aimed for a level four, in which floors are clean, payphones free of graffiti and washrooms clean and stocked. But none of the 69 subway stations met that standard — although 66 of them achieved level three cleanliness, described as "casual inattentiveness."

It would take at least 60 additional full-time staff to meet cleanliness requirements, said TTC chair Adam Giambrone.

But the transit agency has no money to hire them, he said, so improvements in cleanliness may not come for a while.

"It is not possible under the current resources to achieve all of the cleaning, all of the painting, all of the things that people expect from their stations," said Giambrone.

Some improvement since 2008

The audit reports an improvement in cleanliness over the last two years.

In 2008, 34 stations were classed as level two cleanliness, or "moderate dinginess." As of May this year, only four stations fell into that category, the TTC said.

But the TTC still has a long way to go, as stations are not cleaned frequently enough, said Giambrone.

For instance, subway walls are cleaned once a year, but Giambrone said they need it every six months.

"That's one example of how you need to almost double the resources to take what is a year and turn it into six months," he said.

Thirty temporary cleaners will be added in August to undertake a six-month cleaning blitz, said Giambrone.

The TTC board will meet Wednesday to discuss the audit's finding.

In addition to the audit, TTC vice-chair Joe Mihevc is also inviting riders to conduct their own audit of the system's cleanliness. He is asking riders to go to their regular station on July 17 at 11 a.m., fill out the questionnaire and then send it to his team at the audit website.

Link to article: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/toronto/story/201...l#ixzz0tUjXtSMN

[BusFreak93]

Link to article: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/toronto/story/201...l#ixzz0tUjXtSMN

I was surprised even Bessarion didn't meet that standard. It is cleaned quite often for the amount of traffic that it receives.

[buschic]

High Park is a disgrace, you just have to look at the main entrance to see it, also there used to be flower beds planted at the front of a lot of the subway stations, I well remember Royal York used to be gorgeous, infact the old collector there (hes been retired almost 2 years now) used to go out there on his breaks and water the flowers.

[busman]

Is there a list of what rating each station got?

[wil9402]

I was just watching TalkBack Toronto on CTV and they listed the stations they were told by the TTC are the dirtiest and cleanest, in no particular order. The dirtiest were Eglinton West, Yorkdale, Harbourfront (I'm assuming they mean Queen Quay) and a fourth station that I can't remember at the moment. The cleanest were Lawrence East, Midland, Bessarion, Wilson and High Park.

[vivablue5215]

I was just watching TalkBack Toronto on CTV and they listed the stations they were told by the TTC are the dirtiest and cleanest, in no particular order. The dirtiest were Eglinton West, Yorkdale, Harbourfront (I'm assuming they mean Queen Quay) and a fourth station that I can't remember at the moment. The cleanest were Lawrence East, Midland, Bessarion, Wilson and High Park.

I wouldn't be surprised if it was Finch. If you exit the subway platform in the north side, coming up the escalator, you would be able to smell a strong stench of urine coming off the men's washroom. And I'm not even gonna bother getting into the specifics of the washrooms themselves.

There's also the graffiti and "wear-and-tear" near the escalators to the Finch GO Bus Terminal. Though surprisingly that does get cleaned pretty often.

[buschic]

I was just watching TalkBack Toronto on CTV and they listed the stations they were told by the TTC are the dirtiest and cleanest, in no particular order. The dirtiest were Eglinton West, Yorkdale, Harbourfront (I'm assuming they mean Queen Quay) and a fourth station that I can't remember at the moment. The cleanest were Lawrence East, Midland, Bessarion, Wilson and High Park.

I'm very surprised that Dundas West didnt make 'the dirtiest' list, the westbound elevator always has piss or worse in it, every time I have to use that thing, I fell like I'm gonna be sick.

I'm also very surprised that Kipling was not mentioned, that station is NASTY! and yes it deserves caps for the nastiness in that hellhole of a station, the washrooms are the worst, (and yes, I do mean worse than Y& the bus bays are always full of litter, cigarette butts, bottles (near the old 192 bay at night especially) the subway platform is normally very dirty too. often there are overflowing garbage cans near the west end of the station, elevators smell awful, (usually smell like poo and worse) beer bottles in the main elevator is not an uncommon occasion.

I wouldn't be surprised if it was Finch. If you exit the subway platform in the north side, coming up the escalator, you would be able to smell a strong stench of urine coming off the men's washroom. And I'm not even gonna bother getting into the specifics of the washrooms themselves.

There's also the graffiti and "wear-and-tear" near the escalators to the Finch GO Bus Terminal. Though surprisingly that does get cleaned pretty often.

Finch is pretty bad, but you know what, it doesnt surprise me with the amount of people going through it.

[Downsview 108]

I was just watching TalkBack Toronto on CTV and they listed the stations they were told by the TTC are the dirtiest and cleanest, in no particular order. The dirtiest were Eglinton West, Yorkdale, Harbourfront (I'm assuming they mean Queen Quay) and a fourth station that I can't remember at the moment. The cleanest were Lawrence East, Midland, Bessarion, Wilson and High Park.

Huh

where do Yonge, St George and their mouse infestations fit in?

[TDE]

I was just watching TalkBack Toronto on CTV and they listed the stations they were told by the TTC are the dirtiest and cleanest, in no particular order. The dirtiest were Eglinton West, Yorkdale, Harbourfront (I'm assuming they mean Queen Quay) and a fourth station that I can't remember at the moment. The cleanest were Lawrence East, Midland, Bessarion, Wilson and High Park.

Eglinton West... you (well, they, of course) don't say. Where's the washroom and rodents here again? Or maybe it's just due to all the traffic on the Allen choking up people with pollution?