Short commutes
Statistics Canada reports that Canadian commuters spend an average of 52 minutes daily traveling roundtrip to work. In major centres such as Montreal and Toronto, more than a quarter of Canadians spend at least 1.5 hours commuting back and forth every weekday. Ugh.
There just aren't many upsides to long commutes, apart from time to listen to podcasts, music or audio books. Sure, dozing, reading, writing and other activities are possible when public transportation is available, but still you aren't spared from delays and lengthy travel times.
I'm grateful for my short drive to the office and the resulting time I gain each day from not idling in traffic. I don't grind the enamel off my teeth and I also harbour a more positive outlook about the rest of humanity (unlike when I would grumble at disrespectful drivers who felt entitled to cut people off, drive along offramps before deking back into lanes, etc.).
I now realize my short commute benefits me in an odd way: extra humour. Case in point: a traffic delay struck me as funny instead of frustrating. Today, a guy on a tiny forklift meandered up one of Charlottetown's main traffic arteries during the morning commute. He was swigging his Tim's coffee as he drove at a snail's pace. Yet, not a soul honked at him. Not a single car pulled out to pass. We just puttered along behind him until he arrived at his destination.
I smiled knowing I'd still arrive at work in plenty of time. And, I contemplated whether he chose to drive the forklift to go pick up a double-double, or if he commuted to work in that little jobbie and took it through a drive-through.
If you're interested in knowing how your city fares in the Congestion Index, simply check out the first-quarter 2012 report.
Commute times grow when you add one or more of the following: construction, bad weather, police spot-checks, a sinkhole, an accident or long-weekend crowds.
Any wonder the international Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) rates shorter commute times as a key variable in studies of health and quality of life.
There just aren't many upsides to long commutes, apart from time to listen to podcasts, music or audio books. Sure, dozing, reading, writing and other activities are possible when public transportation is available, but still you aren't spared from delays and lengthy travel times.
I'm grateful for my short drive to the office and the resulting time I gain each day from not idling in traffic. I don't grind the enamel off my teeth and I also harbour a more positive outlook about the rest of humanity (unlike when I would grumble at disrespectful drivers who felt entitled to cut people off, drive along offramps before deking back into lanes, etc.).
I now realize my short commute benefits me in an odd way: extra humour. Case in point: a traffic delay struck me as funny instead of frustrating. Today, a guy on a tiny forklift meandered up one of Charlottetown's main traffic arteries during the morning commute. He was swigging his Tim's coffee as he drove at a snail's pace. Yet, not a soul honked at him. Not a single car pulled out to pass. We just puttered along behind him until he arrived at his destination.
I smiled knowing I'd still arrive at work in plenty of time. And, I contemplated whether he chose to drive the forklift to go pick up a double-double, or if he commuted to work in that little jobbie and took it through a drive-through.
If I had arrived late, how lame would that excuse have sounded? "Sorry I’m late. This buddy, a pokish forklift driver, was making his way up to the Kent
Gaining precious time and not staring at tail lights for hours on end...
AWESOME!
LOVE this post. I know first hand how draining 3 hours daily in the car can be. It's amazing how you feel like you got a huge chunk of your life back when you shorten your commute! Had to laugh at the little Timmy-sipping forklift driver :)
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