Orleans Weekly Journal
Published: Friday, January 9, 2009 Tips for surviving the gridlock This week we look at some of the innovative commuting tips and tricks that Orléans residents have employed to cope, survive and yes even thrive in the midst of the OC Transpo strike. First up, the split-shift-neighbours strategy. Neighbour A drives into work early (think 6 a.m. or before) while neighbour B drops both the kids at school and goes in later. After work, neighbour A bolts the office around 3 p.m. or earlier while neighbour B works until 6 p.m. or so then braves the late rush hour home. Next is the get-in-touch-with-nature route. Drive the Rockliffe Parkway and move along at 40km/hr, but at least we’re moving. By the lengthy line of the right-hand turning lane from St. Joseph going west onto the Parkway, this strategy is very popular. My personal favourite is the retro-bankers-hours gambit. Fortunately, my consulting practice allows me to work with colleagues and clients and book most meetings and calls between the hours of 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. … nothing before or after, please and thank you very much. I can almost hear the grumpy old guys in the TD Canada Trust whining about this strategy, but it works. In chats with neighbours and folks at the grocery store or drycleaners, and yes the LCBO – hey, Argentinian Malbec was on special, leave me alone – the work-from-home once or twice a week approach is likely the most popular option so far. Log on in your pyjamas and edit those reports online. Hey, sign me up. And if you worked from home this past Wednesday like I did, it was a road rage-free day. So go ahead and give yourself a pat on the back since your absence from the roads left more space for others … thank you. Need an escape route? During the gridlock that paralyzed the downtown a few times in December – courtesy of strikers jamming the Laurier Bridge around City Hall and risking lives and public safety, way to go you clowns, but I digress – we employed la belle province maneuver. Instead of fighting to go south then east, we went north … then east then south. Yup, you can cross the Portage Bridge and head up to Highway 50 (or go over at the end of King Edward) and take it right to the exit for the Masson-Cumberland ferry. Sure it is a little longer and you will pay eight bucks to pad the Bourbonnais family fortune for the pleasure of the two-minute ride back to the Ontario side, but it sure beats sitting on O’Connor or Nicholas for an eternity only to then crawl along the 417 to the split and beyond. For all voyages and strategies I strongly recommend an extra-large cup of java or your favourite morning drink, a full tank of gas, plenty of windshield washer fluid and ample reserves of patience, patience and more patience. Bonne route et bonne chance mes amis. = = = = = Comments can be sent to Walter Robinson at orleansouttakes@transcontinental.ca. |