TTC Chairman Adam Giambrone has taken the unprecedented step (for the TTC) of soliciting opinions from the Toronto blogosphere, asking fans of the system (and anybody else reading such websites as Torontoist and Spacing’s Wire for suggestions on how to improve service in general, and the TTC’s official website in particular.

In my opinion, the TTC’s website could use a considerable makeover to make its interface less cluttered and more intuitive. The content should be organized better, and items like maps and timetables should be easier to print. The front page in particular could use a considerable pruning, as its dated appearance has become the object of some derision. In terms of actually improving the content of the website, the best thing the TTC could invest in is a decent trip planner. Ideally, it should look a lot like Ian Stevens’ fan produced map and have the capability to enter a starting point, a destination and a desired arrival time, to receive a full trip itinerary.

Changing the TTC’s website amounts to, at best, a cosmetic improvement to the Commission. Nothing will make up for service delays, overcrowded buses and streetcars, and dirty and poorly maintained stations other than preventing service delays, buying more buses and streetcars, and actually getting ahead on property maintenance. However, Giambrone has already made a mark on the commission, less than a month after taking over as chairman, by opening up to public input. Our hats go off to Giambrone, and we hope that this is the start of a long trend.

To offer your own suggestions on how to improve the TTC’s website, you are invited to participate in the comments section of this Torontoist post. And don’t stop there: Spacing Magazine is following this thread with a forum of their own.