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Croopus, or Do not drive in TO
Toronto drivers like to complain about the War on Cars whenever a bike lane is put in or speeds are reduced etc etc, and my usual response is 'diddums' or occasionally Suck it up, depending how scratchy I feel. But after today I might just believe in a conspiracy against drivers, even if one should not ascribe to malice what can be explained by stupidity.
As in, today I have an appointment at College and Yonge. I call my usual company for a cab, and call 90 minutes before for a usual 20-30 minute ride because I am Like That. First warning signal is no human dispatcher: now it's automated 'leave address and closest intersection.' Do, and wait. And wait. And wait. After 35 minutes cancel ride and head out to subway where taxis often hang out. Flag down one of Usual Company's cabs on the way. Driver is surprised that no one came: 'There were four cars in the area.' Oh well. And no, no cabs in front of the subway today either.
College is now a no-go area: tracks are being upgraded, great swathes of it are closed, including the stretch in my area, and it's one lane eastbound only after that. So we take Harbord, the e-w street north of College. Which is fine until suddenly Harbord is closed too. So we detour up to slow-moving Bloor and back down to Harbord where construction has ended, over to Bay (parallel to Yonge) and down that to avoid Yonge's perpetual construction/ bumper to bumper horrors. Then I walked over to Yonge because in spite of city stupidity and congestion, my wonderful driver got me there ten minutes early.
But when I'm finished the same problems arise. There's no way for a cab at Yonge and College, so I walk over to Bay and up another few blocks to where at one point there was a hotel where I hope to get a cab. But the hotel is now condos and the driveway in front of it is gone. I try to call for a cab from there but it's so noisy inside the building that I can't hear the robot voice. Finally squeeze into a corner outside and talk to the robot an d wait. And wait. And flag down another Beck taxi even though the driver isn't wearing a mask, doesn't have the usual plexiglass shield inside, and has all his windows closed.
It's only the middle of the afternoon but traffic crawls up Bay until it gets north of Bloor and then it stops where the condos start a-building again. Stop start, stop start, and know things will get worse once we turn the corner onto Dupont, the northernmost e-w street, because then you have condos, parking, and delivery trucks. We deak down through the Annex and finally cross Bathurst into My Territory, where I dismiss the driver several blocks from home because I need a latte and some pastry to recover.
The chiz is that I have to go back to the same area in two weeks and am already trying to find alternative routes. I might even try the subway.
As in, today I have an appointment at College and Yonge. I call my usual company for a cab, and call 90 minutes before for a usual 20-30 minute ride because I am Like That. First warning signal is no human dispatcher: now it's automated 'leave address and closest intersection.' Do, and wait. And wait. And wait. After 35 minutes cancel ride and head out to subway where taxis often hang out. Flag down one of Usual Company's cabs on the way. Driver is surprised that no one came: 'There were four cars in the area.' Oh well. And no, no cabs in front of the subway today either.
College is now a no-go area: tracks are being upgraded, great swathes of it are closed, including the stretch in my area, and it's one lane eastbound only after that. So we take Harbord, the e-w street north of College. Which is fine until suddenly Harbord is closed too. So we detour up to slow-moving Bloor and back down to Harbord where construction has ended, over to Bay (parallel to Yonge) and down that to avoid Yonge's perpetual construction/ bumper to bumper horrors. Then I walked over to Yonge because in spite of city stupidity and congestion, my wonderful driver got me there ten minutes early.
But when I'm finished the same problems arise. There's no way for a cab at Yonge and College, so I walk over to Bay and up another few blocks to where at one point there was a hotel where I hope to get a cab. But the hotel is now condos and the driveway in front of it is gone. I try to call for a cab from there but it's so noisy inside the building that I can't hear the robot voice. Finally squeeze into a corner outside and talk to the robot an d wait. And wait. And flag down another Beck taxi even though the driver isn't wearing a mask, doesn't have the usual plexiglass shield inside, and has all his windows closed.
It's only the middle of the afternoon but traffic crawls up Bay until it gets north of Bloor and then it stops where the condos start a-building again. Stop start, stop start, and know things will get worse once we turn the corner onto Dupont, the northernmost e-w street, because then you have condos, parking, and delivery trucks. We deak down through the Annex and finally cross Bathurst into My Territory, where I dismiss the driver several blocks from home because I need a latte and some pastry to recover.
The chiz is that I have to go back to the same area in two weeks and am already trying to find alternative routes. I might even try the subway.