680News traffic

“For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.” That’s Newton’s Law, if memory serves. I couldn’t help but be reminded of that when I heard about a recent book that actually makes a case for road rage.

It was bound to happen sooner or later. For every opinion there is always going to be an opposite one put forward by someone. And that “someone” is Tom Vanderbilt, author of the book Traffic: Why We Drive the Way We Do. According to Vanderbilt, road rage might serve a social purpose. For example, honking at someone who cuts you off might shame them into being more co-operative in the future. Where on earth did he get this from?

Even though Mr. Vanderbilt spent three years in traffic while researching for this book he has really missed the boat. I don’t care what his research says. So much road rage has nothing to do with the other drivers’ habits. Some drivers are simply impatient or frustrated and they take it out on fellow motorist. This is not exactly an attitude we want to encourage or condone!!

After an incident of your garden variety road rage, whether you are the giver or the receiver, how do you feel? I know that when I have let my temper get the best of me and have honked at someone or given them a dirty look I feel so badly afterwards I want to find that person so I can explain my actions. At the other end of the scale, when someone is rude to me on the road, I get so angry and upset that it ruins my day. Mr. Vanderbilt may have done the research and crunched the numbers but he completely ignored the human factor when it comes to road rage. I’m sure if one looked hard enough one could find someone who claims that high blood pressure is good for you. I put “road rage serves a social function” into the same category. It’s simply an attempt to make a name for oneself by taking a view that is opposite to the accepted one.

That being said, Mr. Vanderbilt did have some very interesting traffic facts to pass along. Did you know that the average Canadian spends 63 minutes in traffic each day and makes adjustments to the car radio over seven times an hour? A driver is also subjected to about 1,500 pieces of information every kilometer so we as drivers cannot possibly process everything!! It’s also interesting that fatigue is a factor in 12 per cent of traffic accidents.

Vanderbilt also discovered that men cause more of the major accidents while women are more likely to be involved in the minor ones. But women are responsible for more traffic congestion because we are the ones running more errands.

Here’s a traffic tip for you. Research shows that if you wait for that perfect parking spot at the store or mall it will almost always take you longer to get inside than if you take the first spot you see. And if you think switching lanes will get you to your destination faster, statistically it really doesn’t help at all.

So there you have it. Even though I do question some of Mr. Vanderbilt’s opinions, his book is thought provoking and does provide some very interesting traffic tidbits.

Summer seems to be a time when temperatures can soar, and I’m not just talking about the outdoor ones. It seems that, in the summer, with the heat, the changes in traffic patterns and traffic flow, and all the construction, that road rage can rear its ugly head.

This summer seems to be particularly bad because, added to all the other stresses of summer driving, there is the high cost of fuel.

During the summer months it is much harder to predict where and when slowdowns in traffic will occur. We can have the same number of car trips through the GTA, along the 401 for example, but they are not concentrated in the mornings and afternoons. People are on holidays or they are working summer hours and the traffic patterns are much harder to predict.

So how can we keep our cool during the summer months? I live off the Queensway and there is a major construction project going on this summer that has that route tied up for miles each day. Even on a Sunday you don’t get a break from the extremely heavy volume. So my little treat to myself is to meander through the tree-lined side streets to get where I need to go. As I pull off the Queensway onto one of these streets I can feel my blood pressure dropping and my body begins to relax. It’s a small thing but it really seems to help.

We are such creatures of habit. So often we are on “automatic pilot” when we drive and we take the same route every day, regardless of how busy it is. Why not try another route? Take out a map and check out your area. Or go exploring one day to see if you can find a different route. Even if it takes you a bit out of your way it may be worth it if it makes for a more pleasant, less stressful drive.

A great road in the west end that I love to use is North Queen. It’s parallel to the Queensway and runs through an industrial area so there are very few traffic lights. I always feel much less stressed when I take it.

Another good driving habit to try and get into any time of year is to give yourself a bit of extra time to get where you need to go. I know it’s really tough to do. Time is at such a premium these days. But if you can get into the habit, having extra time is a huge de-stressor.

So what do you do to keep yourself calm when driving? I’d love to hear it.

I know that this is supposed to be a traffic blog, so perhaps talking about lost bicycles might be a stretch, but I just want to tell you what happened when I tried to find my stolen bikes.

If you have been listening to 680News over the past few weeks, as I’m sure you have, you will be aware of a man being arrested and the police subsequently uncovering close to 3,000 stolen bikes.

The recovered bikes were collected and placed in two west-end warehouses, and police invited the public to come and reclaim them. In order to do this; however, one would need some proof of ownership. Ah…there’s the rub. Since my last bike was stolen about eight years ago I had no proof; nothing but my memories. I only keep my receipts for seven years, then shred them. So I had no bike receipt. I had also hung on to the front tire of one of my stolen Bianchi bikes until last year, when I finally threw it out. That too could have been proof. After eight years I knew my chances were slim that I would find my bikes, and even slimmer that I would be able to convince a police officer on duty that the bike was indeed mine; but being the eternal optimist I decided to give it a try.

At the stolen bike warehouse there were two very serious looking women at the door. I patiently waited my turn to tell them my story and gain access to the plethora of bikes that lay just ahead. Maybe, just maybe, one of my bikes was there. As I waited my turn, I overheard one gentleman say that he had four bikes stolen over the years and another fellow had seven! When it was my turn I said with a smile, “So, are you ready to hear another stolen bike sob story?” Not a smile from the lady at the door.  So I said cheerily, “Well, guess that means no!” Still no smile…great start Halina…I thought that since I didn’t have concrete proof that I even owned a bicycle, I would try charm! So much for that!

So I launched into my story, trying to wow her with all the minute details I could recall about my bikes. Finally she asked, “Do you have any  receipts?” “No,” I said  “Any pictures?” “No,” I replied. “I did have the front tire, but …” My voice trailed off.  I’d lost her. She had already moved on to the next person in line. I began walking towards the section that would most likely have my bike. Just then a woman came running to the front; face a glow, eyes shining, as she said in a hushed, excited whisper to her companion, “That’s it. That’s the one. That’s my bike.”

I felt envy.  I wanted to find my bike! I wanted that glow!

Well, I checked each bike carefully and did find a couple of women’s Bianchi bikes, but sadly they were not mine. Even if I had found mine, I don’t know if I would have been able to re-claim them based on the fact that evidence of ownership was required.

So off I went, feeling deflated. Even after all those years I still feel a pang when I think of my lost bikes. Maybe it’s better that I didn’t find them.  After so much time , who knows what condition they would have been in. When they were stolen they were new, beautiful, bright and blue. Now in my mind they always will be.