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Can take the man out of the city, but can't take the traffic out of the drive

In today's Views From Georgian Bay column, Kent Walton white knuckles his way through some stop-and-go traffic.
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Over the last few weeks, I have had to travel to the city for various and sundry reasons.
 
I grew up in the city; I learned to drive in the city and spent the first half of my life learning how to cope with Toronto and its traffic. I was never intimidated by city driving. I knew Toronto like the back of my hand. I loved Yonge Street for people watching, I enjoyed the theatres and the general pace of life. The urban hubbub was fun. However, that’s all in the past. In the early nineties, life changed when my wife and I moved north to the Georgian Triangle and a new lifestyle.
 
So this past month has been a challenge as we had to regress. The things I loved about the city are still there, but trying to drive in the city has become an impossible task. Our destinations remain constant but getting to those destinations is another story. Seriously, city driving has become an absolute disaster. Whether driving the 401, Bloor Street, the suburban subdivisions or Bayview Avenue, it’s all a mess.
 
The drive to Sunnybrook hospital for a check-up normally takes about two hours. This past month it was three hours down and just as many coming home. Six hours! There was no bad weather, there were no accidents. It was just pure volume of vehicles.
 
This past week, due to construction and spring road repairs, a trip south to the west end of Toronto also took a similar twist as we dodged detour after detour trying to reach our destination.
 
Later, we were to do a couple of family visits with my in-laws and a birthday visit for one of my grandkids.
Neither of these should have been a problem.
 
Guess again! Between road repairs and backed up traffic, driving was a nightmare.
 
Recently I booked a trip to see Come From Away! at the theatre in Toronto. I cheated travelling by bus with a group of seniors. What a relief it was not worrying about the drive or about parking. I must be getting old.
 
As I said before, I grew up in the city and I know what to expect but it has become absurd since we last had to endure the havoc of Toronto on a regular basis. I’m so glad that I no longer have to suffer driving in the city on a daily basis.
 
I’m relieved to be back in the Georgian Triangle doing the Collingwood crawl at stop signs, facing traffic jams that last no more than a couple of minutes and a knowledge of the road systems that allow me to sidestep traffic problems.
 
Losing the joy of city driving, Kent Walton can be reached at [email protected].