Features © the other press The Anarch Vancouver of oads Photos by Angela Blattmann Thomas Fairley OP Contributor According to TransLink’s website , there are 20,000 new vehicles on Lower Mainland roads every year. The jumbled bottlenecks that turn the Trans-Canada Highway junctions into parking lots every morning are proof that Vancouver has the traffic problems of a metropolitan area, even though the city’s population doesn’t rank it as a metrop- olis. The lack of both driver chivalry and general awareness of the surrounding road environ- ment is so prevalent that I can no longer make it downtown without using my horn at least four times. After my first bout of road rage in late August on an infamous stretch of the Trans-Canada between Surrey and Burnaby: an incident involving a Honda Prelude, a Ford Mustang, and an average speed of 110km/hour—I decided to put away my car keys. I had been driving for three years and have since reluctantly come to accept the fact that the highways and byways of Greater Vancouver are an anarchic cesspool of anger, apathy, and selfishness—a situation far beyond my control. My attempts to bully reckless drivers into submission with my swift European driving style have proved unsuccessful. I have opted for the monthly bus pass and now rely on public tran- sit. Riding the bus and the train has been a successful cure to my traffic-borne ills. When I was driving, I found myself to be constantly rushing everywhere, regardless of whether I was run- ning late or not. My personal slogan has changed from “Life is a highway, I’m gonna ride it all night long” to “Never run to catch a bus; there will always be another one.” With a more relaxed attitude toward inner-city travel, I have developed, by extension, a new attitude toward life. While walking between bus stops and destinations, I don’t forget to look up to the sky, notice the brilliance of light, and take deep breaths of fresh air. It took me three years of muttering complaints through clenched teeth to acclimatize myself to the wild roads of Vancouver: “Bloody Vancouver drivers. Damn it,” I would curse and swear continuously. My anger baggage amounted to nothing more than a high stress level. How many people are prepared to deal with the anarchy of Vancouver roads? Scrunched up morning faces peer bleak- ly through windshields; loud music dulls the senses of anxious drivers; radios tune out the world. I see folks on the roads every day, each with their own method of dealing with an endem- ic transportation problem: too many cars, too little space. There are poor drivers out there. There are poor drivers everywhere. Driving in Vancouver is nerve-racking because the city’s driving population cannot come to an agreement on the use of the pavement. I enjoy taking the bus. I enjoy exercising my silent mockery of idiotic drivers that bubbles away like over-heating radiator coolant inside my head. I love being able to join the bus driv- ers in their expert ability to anticipate impending potential vehicular catastrophes. When tires screech and cars mingle in muddled patterns across intersections with no one truly knowing who is in the wrong, I chuckle from inside the rain-spattered windows of the bus, then shake my head. Page 20 e http://www.otherpress.ca October 29, 2003 STM eM LIES work with computer technology. VCR ROR MUTE Computer Systems: Operations & Management A 2-year Diploma with Co-op Education SEATS OPEN FOR January 2004. Don’t wait for next year...APPLY NOW! Our graduates find challenging, rewarding careers in technology as: * Computer Programmers « Network Specialist/Administrators * Database Administrators © Website Developers © Project Managers * Systems Analyst & Designers Bs UNIVERSITY _ with a difference FOR INFO: Program Advisor: (250) 828-5214 e-mail: bmathews@ cariboo.be.ca TO APPLY: UCC Admissions: (250) 828-5071 e-mail admissions@ cariboo.bc.ca f Sl ii THE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF THE CARIBOO * KAMLOOPS, BC You are not alone The Students’ Union’s Pride Collective provides resources for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered students at the college. The Collective meets Thursdays at 4:30. All lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, questioning and allied students are welcome. Douglas Students’ Union Canadian Federation of Students Local 18