The agony of "la route"

Or... the thrill of commuting!

In the last four weeks I have been mostly: at work, preparing for work, recovering from work, or traveling to and from work.

When I moved here, I was excited by the idea of commuting via public transportation. My “practice runs” took about an hour each direction, give or take 10 minutes. That’s by far the longest commute I’d ever faced but I knew that I wouldn’t have the stress of driving in city traffic, which would “likely take me just as long anyway”. Plus I wouldn’t have to deal with parking. And the idealistic idea of doing some preparation on the subway was enticing.

Well on the first day of school it was about 85 degrees out and I didn’t want to meet my students for the first time sweaty from the un-air-conditioned trains and buses. So I decided to drive “just this once.” I left extra early to give myself plenty of time and arrived at school 25 minutes later! (I even had to wait around for twenty minutes until someone arrived to unlock the building!)

Since then, I have unfortunately become a part of the traffic. I have adjusted my departure time and it generally takes about 35 minutes to get to school. On the way home a bit longer. I have become quite familiar with my route and even some short cuts that make me feel like a local. But that familiarity does not ease the stress that comes along with the drive.

At every light, five or six or more cars, and the other species of bus and taxi, can be seen jockeying for position. There are many one-way streets, so at any given intersection there may be cars waiting to turn...sometimes right, sometimes left. The trick is to find your way into the lane where you won’t be held up by cars waiting to turn. And "everyone else's" destination is more important than mine, of course.

Turn signals, patience, and courtesy are rare. Quick braking, being cut off, and blaring horns are common. Yellow lights mean speed up (so you won’t have to wait for the next light). The traffic signals seem to come from a box of Lucky Charms. There are flashing or non-flashing circles, arrows, diamonds, X’s, but no clovers or hearts! Drivers can be seen eating, talking on cell phones, shaving with electric razors, playing air guitar, reading the newspaper, doing crossword puzzles, and of course smoking. Sometimes two or more of these activities are taking place simultaneously

The roads are rough, bumpy, (harsh winters are hard on the roads) and we are still in construction season, so you can go from three lanes to one to two with little more warning than the barricade that appears before you.

Oh...and the bicycles...These people are crazy, gutsy, indignant and cocky. They jump curbs and potholes and zigzag in and out of cars, parked or moving. Although I’m sure I've never seen a bicyclist shaving or playing air guitar, I’ve witnessed so many "other" activities. I’ve previously spoken about cycling attire, but never mentioned the mandatory fashion accessory of iPod earbuds.

And off I go, on the road again, see you at the next red light!