Old people are always babbling on about time going by too fast. And even though they are probably right, almost every city in Canada seems to be buildingnewroads, transit or pathsallowingusto getto our destinations faster than ever.
Luckilyfor Calgarians,our cityhas embraced the old people’s sage advice — after all, most of themare still on theCalgarycity council.Our aldermen and city planners have realized that while you think you want to get home faster, you actually don’t. Insteadof rushing,use the city’s poor planning toembracethe extra timeyou get to spend inyour car or stuck on the C-train.
The latest example of the city of Calgary helping us appreciate the time we have is theproposition to add anew traffic light on Memorial Dr. —makingfor three lights in four blocks. If it were inany other neighbourhood, it probably wouldn’t be that big of a deal. But an additional set of lights will just add to the frustratingly slow black hole of movement known as the 10thSt. Kensington/Memorial intersection. Apparently, planners are concerned that pedestrians will be too lazy to walk down to the 7 St. lights, but if they are already walking to work, I’m pretty sure they won’t mind the extra block.
However, Memorial Drive isn’t the only place where our city has put the brakes on our fast-paced lives. Who hasn’t enjoyed extra time on Elbow Drive’s needless playground zones or watched the sunrise (and sunset)while onthe 4 Ave. flyover?
But perhaps the greatest example of poor planning causing us to purposely slow us down is none other than theclogged artery of our city —DeerfootTrail. While other cities like Toronto, Vancouver or Montreal have major roadways that move quickly and efficiently (especially considering that they have three times the amount of traffic), Calgarians have the Deerfoot. The parking lot is regulary confused for a road, but in recent weeks I’ve used my time parked on the Deerfoot to call my parents, build a barn on Farmville and evendomy taxes!
Like everything in life, I’ve decided to give up and let city council makemytoughtime managementdecisions,even ifthey are usually wrong.But,hey,if it means I get to play more Farmville, then I don’t really mind!
