Every time someone complains about the cost of the TTC, I think of things like this. Just a ceiling leak onto the track bed. But there’s not enough money to maintain infrastructure, let alone increase service.

While people argue about the damage done by the last city Council, and the one before that, I cast the aspersions back to Mike Harris and every provincial austerity budget since. Or further back, to GM and the other car companies who lobbied and destroyed our fledgling system.

And so I am, as much as everyone else, stuck looking backwards at the mess as it evolved instead of looking to viable future solutions.

Subways alone are not the answer. Nor is any other single type of transit. If we survive the Pan Am games this year, it’ll be a small miracle.

But first winter needs to end so we can chisel our way back to a state of good service.

PS: dear Boston, we feel your transit pain. Hang in there.