Traffic Jams

Traffic jams in Fort McMurray. Yes. Hard to believe. It has a population of ~120,000 people and I have experienced longer traffic jams here than the ones where you come home from camping on a long weekend in the Lower Mainland.

NORMALLY the bus would leave the worksite at 4:50pm and I would arrive at the apartment at 5:30pm; 40 minutes with decent traffic.

BUT on Thursday, I didn't get back to the apartment until 6:50pm. 2 hours ... 2 hours. Longest jam of my time in Fort McMurray.

On Friday night, it was my department's Christmas dinner at a hotel (yes, Christmas dinner... late or early depending on how you see it). I was worried that if there was another bad traffic jam like the previous day, I wouldn't get enough time to get ready and make it in time for dinner at 7pm.

BUT surprisingly, I got home at 5:30pm. I eat a pizza pop for a snack and get dressed (black shirt, black pants, and pink tie). I call for a 6:15pm-taxi-pickup for myself and fellow co-op students....

- Waiting in the lobby by 6:10pm

- Compared to the rest of my co-workers, I've over-dressed

- Realized there are more people I didn't account for; I call for another taxi

- Taxi-dispatcher lady says she can't send another taxi because all of them are ...

dun dun dun... STUCK IN TRAFFIC!

- It is 6:15pm; no taxi

- Co-workers rubbing it in I've over-dressed and too pimp

- Some apartment residents don't have key to enter past the 2nd lobby door. I have the key.

- I let in some apartment residents

- 6:30pm, no taxi

- I let in some more residents

- Co-workers now saying I'm not pimp because I'm too nice

- 6:45pm, no taxi

- Co-workers now say I look like a door-man at a hotel and I should just stand by the door

- One taxi arrives at 7:00pm - Myself + 3 guys jump in and head on our way, leaving the other 5 behind.

- 7:20pm, we're stuck on the highway. The other 5 are still waiting

- 7:30pm, we're still stuck. But the other 5 get into the taxi and take a differ

ent route.

- Arrived at the hotel at 8:15pm. Total trip time = 1hr 15 min. (It should have only taken at most 30 minutes) By this time, my hunger had already subsided.

You'd think that a car-crash initiated these jams.... NOPE! Nothing.... actually.

The traffic jams are because of:

bad bad bad road design and planning.

- Most people live in the residential area.

- Most residents work for oil companies.

- Most people go to and from work at the same time.

- 2-lanes each way

- BAM

- AND WHY ARE THERE TRAFFIC LIGHTS ON A HIGHWAY?!?! (Red circles)

But they are expanding the highway and building on/exit ramps... this should have been done 7 years ago.

[Oh, and I dressed for the occasion. Other full-time employees were wearing suits and ties. *weew*]