Anyone who lives in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) must have some level of hatred for the traffic in our cities. Little has been done to improve our traffic infrastructure over the past twenty years even though the population has increased by hundred of thousands in this time span. News of accidents and traffic jam fills the radio airwaves daily. Last week, a fire at a metals plant in Brampton caused parts of highway 407 to be closed. This closure caused traffic chaos in Brampton as all the alternatives also became jammed with cars. I happened to be one of those unfortunately drivers stuck in traffic. My usual commute of 40 minutes turned into one and a half hour. I have come up with many theories that I will share while hopelessly sitting in traffic staring at the car in front of me.
Tip# 1 Take the hit of waiting in traffic rather than seeking alternatives
If you are stuck in traffic, it is probably better to wait it out rather than seek an alternate side street. Most people often believe that they are the only person that knows about a specific side street, but over time people figure out these alternate routes. It is better to wait it out on a highway or major street with many lanes rather than being stuck on a side street with one or two lanes. I know this fact first hand!
Tip # 2 The right lane is the fastest lane …. in a traffic jam on the highway
The left most lane on a highway is typically the fastest lane and the right lane is usually the slowest lane. During a traffic jam most people try to switch into the left lane hoping it will be the quickest, but most often the right lane moves the quickest, especially since people will be exiting from the highway and the people switch out of the right lane due to the perception of it being slow.
Hint # 3 Listen to the traffic reports
This hint is the simplest of the three and yet people still do not listen to traffic reports. Checking the traffic report before you start your commute can be the difference between a traffic jam and a clear ride into work.
Traffic and living in a big city is inevitable, as bad as Toronto traffic can be, it is not the worst. Below are a list of the three most congested cities in the world:
- Manila, Philippines
- Cairo, Egypt
- Lagos, Nigeria
2 comments:
Well said José... I will say though... #2 is more effective than anything... sometimes there is only one way to go...
Another thing you can do... is listen to this over and over again... the video ain't that bad either... just makes you feel... "happy"...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJ7pGMfVNVg
lol ... and it was really two travel tips, the last one I entered only because 3 tips looked better on paper.
The commercial does make me feel happy, but aren't ya really bottling up the anger to later go off at some later point, and given the Toronto traffic, that later point will happen sooner than later.
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