This week my husband went ice fishing for his winter holiday which left me the car to use (we only own one) so I used it. The drive to the Oshawa station is only 13 minutes from my house in Courtice at 6:45 in the morning.
At Oshawa station there's parking at the far, north end of the lot and access points to the platform have been opened up at the bus loop, so the traverse isn't so bad. It was actually pleasant.
The evenings, however, not so much.
HOLY CHRIST. People are animals. They are maniacs. They will eat your babies (*thanks, BEJ, for this analogy).
I nearly got run over twice while walking to my car. There's this Indy mentality to race through the aisle to beat other drivers lining up to exit. It wasn't like this four years ago, or maybe my memory is bad. But I don't remember having to jump out of the way and dive to the ground like in a Liam Neeson movie just to make it from the platform to my car.
Nobody lets you in, lets you pull out, lets you turn, lets you get around. There's a lot of aggression and very little courtesy. I made the mistake last night of letting three drivers scooch in ahead of me when all of a sudden this man appeared at my diver side door, and slapped my window, and starting telling me to "fuck off" and "that some of us wanted to get home".
I had to quell my inner @HulkGORider to put the car in park and take him on. I ignored him but gave him my best "this white girl can't even with your shit" stare. Of course, he walked back to his car loudly expressing his affection of bitches like me. When he climbed back into his car, he laid on his horn and kept blaring his horn at me until I made it out onto Bloor Street. He tailed me all the way to Stevenson Road and as I made my way onto the eastbound 401, he ensured to show me I was number one, too, as he blew past me.
He really needs a puppy to hug.
Imagine the Indy mentality as idiot drivers scream through a parking garage and then proceed to exit out the entrances!
ReplyDeleteI have decided I'm not parking in the garage at Whitby ever again. Took me 15 minutes just to get out of the garage and another 15 just to get out of the south lot. I will scrape ice off my car in the north lot before I park there. Holy hell, it's ridonkulous!
Years ago I quit parking in the garage at Ajax. About 2 rides after it opened up. I will hoof it to the south lot just to avoid the mess. And I don't mind the not getting hit part. People treat it like the Indy.
ReplyDeleteAnyhoodles, the odd time I drive to the station and not take the bus, I opt to lollygag and take my sweet ass time to get to my car. That puts me behind the traffic and the insanity. It is not worth it.
Oshawa Station is the worst. Not only are there no pedestrian bridges or tunnels (forcing us all to walk the length of the train to get to the one exit point), but the sprawling parking lot has only two exits so it can sometimes take an eternity to get out. I've tried the lollygagging technique but often the next train will come and unload the next wave of drivers before the traffic loosens up. I'd take the bus every day if I didn't live so far from a stop.
ReplyDeleteWhat's needed for people like him is: A second-story balcony with concrete landing and steel rails, and either a good strong rope or a long thread of piano wire.
ReplyDeleteThe only alternative? "Forget it, Jake. It's Chinatown".
It's been ages since I took the GO train from Bramalea Station, but I can assure you that if Oshawa is the Indy, Bramalea is Formula One. It's unconsionable that people are tearing out of that lot doing probably 50-60km/h while there are pedestrians trying to play frogger to get to their cars.
ReplyDeleteThere's 2 ways in/out of the North lot at Bramalea, but if you aren't going south, there's really only 1 way in/out, which contributes greatly to the racetrack performances of many-a-driver.
The South lot isn't as bad (as far as the crazies go), but there's only 1 way in/out, and it always bottlenecks at that main access as the traffic from various aisles converges and drivers stare each other down in an effort to determine right-of-way.
When I take the GO now from Guildwood (very rarely now), there's only ever been one way in/out of the lot. Drivers routinely let other cars in. People take turns. Nobody drives like they just got a call informing them that their house is on fire.
I can't explain why some stations are like Oshawa/Bramalea, and others are far more civilized. Luck of the draw, I guess.