Greetings and salutations,
My name is Michael. I'm an 18-year-old university student from Toronto, Canada who has a fascination for public transit and commercial aviation. While it may not fall under any of the common interests and hobbies that the general public seem to share, such as music, sports, rock collecting or celebrities and popular culture, it is still a hobby and interest shared by certain people throughout the globe, and it is significant enough that it has been the subject of a TV documentary on some occasions.
The reason why we appreciate this hobby is simple-- our past experiences in life. Our morals, ethics, values, opinions and interests are all derived from our past life experiences. Of course, people come from various backgrounds, and therefore, have different interests and are entirely within their rights to do so. Most people who have an interest in public transit have been lifelong users of public transit, especially during childhood, when even the most basic of things appear to be intriguing and curiosity is at its strongest.
Living in Toronto, a city where public transit options are abundant and where public transit provides the necessary infrastructure to support the needs of the city's dense population and businesses, especially for the working class in which there are significant amounts throughout the city's boundaries, public transit is often the subject of discussion, not only in the media but also on the internet. The Toronto Transit Commission is the backbone and lifeline of our city's transportation network, and without it, the quality of life that Toronto is known for cannot be sustained for much longer, even on a weekend as witnessed by the TTC strike of April 26th.
The internet is an excellent medium for such transit enthusiasts to communicate on, in the sense that it enables anyone to obtain up-to-date information that might not be as easily obtainable otherwise and partake in discussions in order to fulfill their interests. The internet has done much to diversify interests and connect people with similar interests together. Internet sites pertaining to this hobby includes hobby sites that include pictures of transit vehicles from various cities and regions, technical specifications of transit vehicles as well as the history or background of various transit systems. The most common type of website, by far, is the photo-gallery type website which have pictures of buses not only for the enjoyment and delight of the transit fan, but also to double as a historical reference or another source of information.
Most photo galleries include pictures that are taken by the author of the website him/herself, but, unfortunately, photographers have often been harassed and unfairly questioned and interrogated by transit employees such as, but not limited to, bus drivers or security guards, despite the fact that there is no written rule delineated in the by-laws of the respective transit agencies that specifically addresses photography within the system, with the exception of commercial-use photography, which is prohibited without express permission. Since the photographs that we take are
NOT for commercial purposes, but are only to satisfy our, and other hobbyists' interest, we are entirely within our rights to engage in photography unless proven otherwise by
an official form of writing that explicitly and clearly states the policies regarding photography within the property therein. If someone is harassed, arbitrarily interrogated or detained for photography, it is the photographer's prerogative to pursue legal or civil action against the authority in question, especially if the photography was done on public property where no by-law applies.
To address the problems that photographers are facing in regards to this, I have decided to create this blog in order to publish stories and hopefully attract further interest and attention. So, stay tuned!
