Take Five

Since I don't work in the city, I do not have much call to ride into downtown during the morning rush hour. However, I did need to go over to Place Alexi-Nihon last week and, since biking is the most efficient way to get around this town, I headed down St. Urbain towards the Maisonneuve bike path.

It gave me a good opportunity to experience what it is like to commute with a lot of other cyclists as well as all the pedestrians and motorists. Only a few minutes are required to comprehend, though cyclists love to bitch about motorists, that there are as many bad cyclists on the road as motorists.

There is some kind of madness that grips people, no matter how they are travelling, so they manifest in their actions the 'Rush' hour. Is it because work or school is so fulfilling they must hurry to arrive asap?

I think, perhaps, people budget a certain amount of time to the commute and invariably underestimate the time involved. So, they become stressed and feel the need to rush.

My suggestion, a la Dave Brubeck, is to 'Take Five'. Give yourself five extra minutes, get out the door a little earlier and maybe you'll enjoy the voyage rather than suffer through it.