Fast but no fun in the car

“Damn those city planners,” I want to shout, not really knowing who’s at fault.

It’s Wednesday morning and I am at a traffic light in the middle of 101 Street in downtown Edmonton, sleepily gazing up at the skyscrapers ahead, when I notice that I almost missed my turn.

I just passed 105 Avenue and my logic tells me I should not expect to turn left onto 103A Ave. for another block. But someone decided to split the next street into two, so everyone turning right heads down 104 Ave. while going left heads onto 103A Ave..

If there’s a sign warning me of this illogical road configuration, I didn’t see it. Hello, rise in blood pressure.

Thanks to my winter stunt car driving skills (I’m kidding), I quickly squeeze in between two cars in the left turning lane. I don’t think the driver behind me is too impressed and we’re already stuck at another red light.

Now that I’m on 103A Ave., the race to Edmonton City Hall is almost complete. Victoria in the St. Albert bus is nowhere to be seen (I’ve been ogling the buses passing me). Though I’m betting the bicycle rider will win because he has less traffic to deal with.

But let me rewind.

The race started around 7:30 a.m., which meant I grudgingly got out of bed an hour earlier than I’m used to. Google Maps said it takes 24 minutes to my destination but I don’t trust those numbers. My guess is the commute will take at least another 15 minutes.

From the parking lot at city hall in St. Albert I head south on St. Albert Trail, then turn right at the traffic circle onto 118 Ave. and down Kingsway until I turn onto 101 Street.

From there, it should be a hopscotch to Edmonton city hall, with a left turn onto 103A Ave. and a quick right onto 99 Street where I expect to find a parking garage beneath city hall.

I am not too familiar with driving around downtown Edmonton. Most of my days consist of an eight-minute commute back and forth to work in St. Albert, and the occasional outing to Edmonton on the weekends, when rarely anyone is out on the road.

But today, the streets are full of cars, leaving me to creep along below the speed limit and stopping at every light. Whichever lane I change to in an attempt to hurry my trip, the cars in the lane to left or right always seem to be moving faster. Then I’m stuck behind a semi truck all the way down Kingsway Ave. and have to triple check the mirrors before changing lanes.

That being said, Edmonton is a breeze, compared to the congested, tight commuter roads I used to drive for an hour on my way to school in Frankfurt, Germany. What worries me in Edmonton is the snow, and not knowing how my car or other drivers might react.

Still, I prefer taking the car instead of the bus and the bike. In the car, I’m warm and not surrounded by people. Mornings are not my social time.

When I finally turn onto 99 Street, the parking garage is easy to find. Parking spots are abundant but much to my chagrin, it costs $20 a day (cash or credit). Which is expensive on top of the added fuel cost from the constant stop-and-go.

My stopwatch says a little more than 55 minutes have passed since the start of the race when I arrive at the front steps of Edmonton city hall. To my surprise, nobody’s here.

It takes about eight more minutes until our bus commuters and the bicyclist arrive. In the meantime, I jump around to mark my win and loosen my muscles. It’s a little tight in the shoulders when you’re driving in winter.