How you get around your city determines how easy it is to access your job, get groceries, see your doctor, or visit friends and family. But most of our cities were built for cars, not people — and that’s created massive inequality.
When a car is the only way to do basically anything efficiently, daily life becomes really expensive. Car payments, insurance, gas, maintenance — it all adds up fast. Getting around becomes a luxury that not everyone can afford, cutting people off from opportunities that others take for granted.
Picture this: It’s -34 celsius. You’re waiting for a bus that never comes. Then, walking to work because you have no other choice. Stuck outside in dangerously cold weather because our cities force you to have a car just to exist. That’s not right.
When we invest in public transportation, we’re not just fighting climate change — we’re making sure nobody has to choose between freezing and making it to work. We’re ensuring everyone can access the things they need to thrive, without dropping a fortune on gas, parking and car maintenance.
Not to mention that transportation is one of Canada’s largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions. Every car on the road pumps pollution into our atmosphere. A single bus can replace dozens of cars, slashing emissions while moving more people efficiently. When we fund reliable, accessible public transit, we give people a real alternative to driving and help to cut the emissions driving climate change. It’s climate action that works!
Which is why the news that the federal government is cutting $5 billion from public transit funding hit hard. These cuts will hurt transit users and directly undermine our climate commitments and affordability goals at exactly the wrong time.
Public transportation is more than just buses and trains. Here’s what funding public transit actually means:
Reliable service for families who depend on it
Equal access to transportation for people who can’t afford cars
Environmental protection for communities hit hardest by pollution
Public transit isn’t just about getting from point A to B. It’s about making our cities work for everyone. Car optional.
Source Reference: Environmental Defence - Our Cities Were Built for Cars, Not People. That Needs to Change. by Lauren Thomas (https://environmentaldefence.ca/2026/02/26/our-cities-were-built-for-cars-not-people-that-needs-to-change/)
