Transportation woes...

[fajrdrako]

It snowed heavily all day, and I walked home from work.

I've had trouble with the buses for the past week. They closed one of the bridges across the Ottawa River, which has caused the traffic at evening rush hour to back up on Rideau Street. Normally it takes me about forty minutes to get home by bus; lately, it's been taking two hours or more. Most of that time is spent sitting reading in a stationary bus. It took half an hour for the bus to get from King Edward Avenue to Cumberland Street on Thursday; on Friday, the bus driver said it would probably take an hour or more to get from the Rideau Centre to War Memorial. (For the-out-of towners: these are locations roughly a block apart. A short block.)

So on Monday I walked to the Transitway at Laurier (roughly a fifteen minute walk) and took a bus to Billings Bridge and then took the #1 northward to the Glebe; it took me only an hour to get home that way, but it was reasonably unpleasant. One of my nightmares came true: I had to stand on the crowded bus. I coped. Didn't like it, though.

So tonight I walked home, in the snow. It seemed more palatable than the bus and the immobile traffic everywhere downtown. I fantasized about getting snowshoes. Might not be a bad idea. It was a tiring walk. My legs don't like me any more, and have subsequently stopped talking to me, or obeying my commands. It took about ninety minutes to get home, but I suspect any bus I could have found would have taken longer.

And tomorrow... No buses. They're going on strike. I walk or - or what?

Sometimes life is complicated.

Comments

[bunsen-h.livejournal.com]

I took the bus to work this morning, and walked home. A bit over half an hour each way, counting the wait in the bus shelter on the way out.

Part of the route would be suitable for cross-country skiing, but not quite enough of it to make that feasible.

With shoveling my driveway this evening, at least I got my exercise today.

[auriaephiala.livejournal.com]

I was trying to figure out which of my non-car friends was going to have problems getting to work during the strike, and I guessed you were likely to be able to manage (assuming the sidewalks are plowed), since your workplace isn't too far away.

I don't envy duncanmac or fajrdrako though.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I was lucky this morning: Gord was able to drive me to work. I'll be walking home, though.

Should be interesting. Nothing is ploughed yet, but give them time.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

A bit over half an hour each way, counting the wait in the bus shelter on the way out.

Woo, not bad! Prognosis good.

With shoveling my driveway this evening, at least I got my exercise today.

I predict we are all soon going to be Hercules. (Or, some of us, Xena.)

[bunsen-h.livejournal.com]

My walk in this morning was bit over 40 minutes. I've got Dad's car for a little while, but I figured that the time to shovel the snowplough ridge out of the driveway, de-ice the car, and drive in would be longer than the time to walk -- and that much exercise of unaccustomed muscles would leave me pretty weary.

The walk was a bit worse than I expected, partly because I'm a bit sore from last night's shovelling, partly because a lot of the sidewalk on the way was "ploughed" mostly in the sense of "a plough has driven along the path, grinding fluffy snow into heavy slippery snow/ice powder underfoot". Snow on a clean sidewalk isn't so bad to get through, especially after a few pedestrians have left tracks; the snow/ice powder is treacherous.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Funny what a difference even a small change in conditions can make. I'm glad to made it into work okay, though.

I don't know how long it would have taken me to walk, since mercifully Gord drove me, but I am prepared to continue walking as necessary. Pyschologically. Physically? Thank goodness for the cane. I don't know if it really helps my balance but it does wonders for my confidence.

[cionaudha.livejournal.com]

What's "the Glebe"?

[auriaephiala.livejournal.com]

A leafy streetcar suburb about 15-20 minutes' walk from downtown Ottawa (in good weather). In the kind of weather we're likely to have tomorrow, you can triple that time.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Let's hope I don't quadruple it!

[dewline.livejournal.com]

Wishing you the best.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Thank you. Hoping for the best.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

It's the area I live in, a little to the south of Centretown in Ottawa. A sort of pretty residential area of old houses.

[auriaephiala.livejournal.com]

I'm so glad you can walk to/from work again, even if it's not that great an experience.

I heard tonight that the Chaudiere Bridge will reopen tomorrow, but will only have one lane in each direction open (plus pedestrian traffic) for the forseeable future. No buses allowed on it and no heavy trucks. That will direct a whole bunch MORE truck traffic right by your workplace. With just that the traffic jams downtown will continue to be horrendous. When you add in the horrible winter weather we've had recently AND the bus strike -- oy veh!

(And I hope to goodness the bridge wasn't reopened early because of the strike -- before it was safe.)

See http://www.cbc.ca/canada/ottawa/story/2008/12/09/ot-bridge-081209.html .

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I'm so glad you can walk to/from work again, even if it's not that great an experience.

It would be so much nicer in good weather. But this builds character, right?

I heard tonight that the Chaudiere Bridge will reopen tomorrow

Good! Though without buses, it's a moot point.

but will only have one lane in each direction open

It will still improve things... surely.

That will direct a whole bunch MORE truck traffic right by your workplace.

Traffic? Parked cars and trucks as far as the eye can see!

[lunacy-gal.livejournal.com]

I'll think of you slogging through the snow today if you think of me doing the same. Long-distance support. *hugs*

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Yes! We are intrepid. We can do this.

[tudorpot.livejournal.com]

Oh, dear- sounds horrific. My drive home last night almost became a walk. Deep snow on the roads, plows couldn't keep up- I don't recall them ever being so bad. Made it to my road using grim determination, and very slow- then the hills rose to challenge me. One down, but the next got me- a deceptive hill, not to high, but on an angle such that you can't go too fast or you end up off the road if you stay to the right, but could hit an oncoming car if you go in the middle- but you can't see what's coming due to the turn. I made it to just before the top and stuck- sideways- oh joy. Managed to skid and slide to one side, but partly in the snow bank. Called for a tow, but got out and did some digging. At that point I had decided to find a safe place to leave the car and walk home. However, I was saved by the school buses. They had called the plow as one bus needed to go down, and when I reached my home, saw another bus that had been stuck just below my hill. Another pile of snow arrived over night- about 5 inches.

I'm not sure I want my character built much more.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

What an adventure! I'm glad you ended up all right and home safe. I had so hoped for a not-very-snowy winter, but obviously that isn't going to happen. It was snowy enough last night, but this morning was that much worse - tough I think it stopped snowing about 8 a.m. Let's hope it doesn't start again any time soon.

Good luck in your travels today.

On the way in to work, we were listening to the radio on Gord's truck. They announced that due to the bus strike and the heavy snowfall and the closed bridge (and so on), traffic today was mayhem. This is news? thought I. Isn't this obvious to anyone who's even looked at an Ottawa road today?

[dewline.livejournal.com]

Took my last bus for the duration last night to get to and from the talk given by Gwynne Dyer and attend a party thrown by a prospective employer beforehand.

Crowded to the gills. And that was the Rideau Centre-bound leg of the trip.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

How are you going to manage? You're not in a good position to walk everywhere.

[dewline.livejournal.com]

No idea at this point. Ridesharing, if I land a day-job before the strike ends, I'm guessing. Hoping. Praying.

Otherwise, I settle for going places to which I can walk to and fro.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Yeah. Let's all hope for good weather. Er, better weather.

[auriaephiala.livejournal.com]

How was the talk? I just found his latest book at the library, and it looks quite interesting.

(I would have gone, but was already booked to see fajrdrako that night & wouldn't miss that.)

[dewline.livejournal.com]

Oddly enough, I just blogged in part about that talk, and about the strike as well. Also crossposted to publicbroadcasting.ca while I was at it.

It was good, for all that Dyer mixed the hope and scary all in one two-hour session. Actually, it was good because of how he mixed the two elements together.