The Star - The 'C' question has no good answer
You can read the article here, but here are two excepts that really grind my gears:"And I have heard this exact question at least 10 times. Not, "How are you managing the commute?" or "How long does it take to commute?" The answer is simple: It's awful. None of what attracted me to moving back to my hometown had to do with being stranded, a prisoner caged in her car, on the Don Valley Parkway for an hour, twice a day. That's two hours a day from my life that I can't get back."
At what point does a person come to the realization that they could be doing much more with their time?
"Of course, there are alternatives: the GO train, the subway etc. And I'm determined to explore those, and soon. But as far as I'm concerned – and perhaps the other 60,000 who drive to and from Richmond Hill feel the same – if I'm going to be stuck for two hours a day, I'd rather be stuck in my own space, completely independent and able to blast the radio and chat to friends (on hands-free cellphones, natch) than be squished onto a train."
Seeing as the Richmond Hill train does not fill to capacity, one would never be squished. Seriously... People need to stop pre-judging things before they try them. An iPod can give you all the tunes you like and more, and do your friends really want to hear from you at 7:30 in the morning? I know mine don't.
Labels: urban design
posted by Andrae Griffith @ 1:07 p.m.
2 Comments:
Things you can do on public transit that you can't while driving:
* Read a book
* Write notes
* Type on your laptop
* Use a portable game system
Of course, having a seat helps. I plot my morning commute so that I am guaranteed a seat.:-)
Thanks for the link, I truly enjoyed that article. I have never been a regular user of the RH train, but I have experienced it full to the point of standing-room only.
But mostly I agree with the argument that when you buy a house so many miles away from work, you are effectively selling your life away.
"but I should be able to live wherever I want!" you say?
Well I want to live in Montreal but work in Toronto. Find me someone who won't laugh when I complain about that commute.
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home