Watchdog

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Over the past four weeks I have travelled more than 4,500 kilometres in Japan, which is the equivalent of the distance by road between Toronto and Vancouver, and did so entirely by using the country's amazingly integrated public transportation system.

During that time I used railway, subways, streetcars, buses and even monorails, and in each case the trip was speedy, safe and clean.

What is even more amazing is the fact that all of these different transportation systems are integrated with each other, so that when you reach a particular terminal or destination you can easily transfer from one system to another and continue your journey.

Imagine being able to get onto the subway along Danforth Avenue and getting to every major intersection in the GTA in a fraction of the time it would take by automobile.

Then imagine being able to use that same subway system to link up with a railway network that would allow you to connect with major regional centres throughout Southern Ontario as well as every major town along the route.

Imagine that you wanted to go to a more distant city such as Ottawa or Montreal, and then imagine reaching each in fewer than two hours by special high-speed trains travelling at 300 kilometres per hour.

That is essentially what the Japanese experience was for me when using the 27,268 kilometres of countrywide train service and the hundreds of kilometres of subway system found in eight major cities, not to mention the additional forms of public transportation available.

One of the features that is universal throughout the entire public transportation system is the use of computerized messaging in order to let you know exactly where you are on your journey and when you are coming to your next stop.

Be it railway, subway, bus or streetcar, you can look up at a computerized screen and see which stop you came from, which one you are going to and in some cases how long it will be before you arrive.

In addition to the visual information, the arrival at each stop is clearly indicated by a pre-recorded announcement in both English and Japanese, plus additional information on transfers to different lines and systems.

Not only are the pubic transportation systems made easy for regular users, but for those with special needs as well, including special visual and auditory aids for direction and safety, as well as station attendants for those with problems with mobility.

As a result of the attention to detail, the Japanese railway system carries more than 22 billion passengers in clean, comfortable and safe surroundings where accidents are a rarity.

The primary reason why Japan has followed a policy of promoting such extensive use of public transportation is that it enables millions of people to move about the country without the need for private vehicles.

We too can have such a public system as Japan's but only when we have the will to let go of our automobiles.