Road works

It's a Canadian cliche isn't it? We have two seasons: winter and road work. A few weeks ago I undertook a tour of downtown as I had to make some deliveries for work. I decided to take my own car rather than a corporate van because after nine years away the city is quite unfamiliar to me, and downtown in particular is rather notorious for one way street mazes and other generally confusing bits. Like streets that abruptly end only to continue on the other side of a concrete wall, or one street changing names three times for intance. I thought navigating in an unfamiliar vehicle would needlessly add to the challenge of the undertaking.

What I should have done was rent a Land Rover or some other serious SUV-type vehicle suitable for off-roading. This city has potholes you can build houses in! Olympic swimmers can do laps in them after a rain storm, and film crews could use our streets for wartime locations, no exaggeration.

The highway that links my burb with the big city was always under construction when I lived here back in the day. And now there they are, in the exact spot they were working on before. I never actually see any work being done, or any, you know...people. There is the odd piece of equipment sat on the side of the road, and several signs warning motorists to slow down while construction is under way. Right. I'll slow down if you can show me signs of anything actually being done, construction-wise! I'm sure there is method and reason behind how road work happens, and something obviously does happen, because sure enough we do have roads to drive on...it just doesn't happen when anyone's looking.

You may have noticed the same phenomenon with building sites. You drive down the same quiet country road all the time, then one day you notice a promotional sign glorifying the merits of a new subdivision. Two weeks later you're out that way again, and a whole new little city has sprung up, complete with roads, street lights and cookie-cutter houses, with roofs and everything! How does it happen? It's baffling.

It's coming on to cottage season, and you know what that means: alongside of increased numbers on the roads, construction crews will also be gathering on the major highways and byways of this great country of ours. Be prepared: bring snacks! Stock reading material, games, or zen relaxation tapes. Allow for at least an extra hour to get to wherever you are going, or leave at five in the morning. And that's just for getting across town! Never mind trying to leave the city for a weekend between Easter and Thanksgiving.

The nice thing is, by the time cottage traffic dies down, the potholes are finally filled in and it's possible to drive without danger to life and limb - not to mention suspension! Life in Canada is certainly an adventure, dog sled or no dog sled.