Riding the rails can give
back a life
My first husband (and current husband) was 29 years old
when his television career switched from CKVR in Barrie to Global Television
in Toronto.
He was 46 when he moved closer to the lake and took up an office right
downtown, still in television.
It was his job that brought us here initially. But the life we were
building made us decide to stay here in Barrie when his paycheque moved
south.
It's a big decision with big impact. Since 1976, he has been driving
a fuel-efficient German car down Highway 400 to the inner reaches of
Toronto.
First, it was the questionable comfort of a 1972 beetle. Then we switched
to the diesel economy of a Rabbit, a few Jettas, a retro Beatle, another
Jetta ... you get the idea.
At first, it wasn't too bad a drive. Traffic didn't really start until
you reached Finch. And, because he works in the television industry,
his commute times were odd, so he didn't contend with much traffic.
It felt like a fair trade for work that he really loved.
The miles rolled on with the years and more people moved to Barrie and
more people hit the pavement for their daily bread.
This past decade has taken a horrible toll on my commuting partner.
White-knuckled tailgating drivers, cell phones at their ears, make his
life a risk every day. The hour has stretched to two hours each way
most days and the workday for him runs from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. when he
returns home ... that is, unless he's in the air for a flight to one
event or another. He regularly experiences near misses in horrible accidents,
truck rollovers, and he is often exhausted as he heads north for home.
Trouble is that it's taking more energy to get to and from work than
it's taking to actually do the work.
He turned 60 in December and my gift was a 10-pack GO train trip stub.
We also gave him a Sirius Satellite portable system so he can get CBC
from anywhere!
He was like a kid in a candy store. First day on GO was last Thursday,
Jan. 3. He set his alarm for 6, made his lunch, packed up his technology,
stopped for a 'to-go' coffee and made his way to St Paul's where he
boarded the GO train.
He counted the stops. He listened to radio. He cracked opened his brand
new book about the life of Jack Nicholson. He watched people get on,
cars fill up as the train got closer and closer to Toronto.
He arrived at Union Station and walked two blocks to the Rogers Centre
where his office is located.
He walked past reception at 9:10 a.m., earliest he's been in in years.
He dashed off a happy e-mail to each member of the family, sharing his
enthusiasm for the best commute he's had in 31 years! No stress. Extremely
reasonable cost – $20 both ways – no parking costs, no fuel
costs. We may even change his car insurance coverage.
The return trip was equal joy and our family life has a new lift to
it.
The danger and constant threat that is life on Highway 400 has been
traded for a pleasant time when attention can be diverted to other activities.
This is one happy man. Why share this with you? Because dozens of politicians,
municipal staff, and ordinary people lobbied for years to get this train
back on the rails. They stayed focussed. They continued to believe it
would happen.
I'm full of gratitude. But, not so grateful as he is. He's waiting for
the big bonus, which will come any day now ... his first train commute
in a major snowstorm. Commute time on those days was often over three
hours each way. He'll be the guy in the second seat of the train with
the big grin on his face.
Thanks, GO!
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