There’s word on the grapevine that Winnipeg drivers aren’t the best around. In fact, I was recently in a cab talking about it with the cab driver and someone drove through a red light! Winnipeg’s winter doesn’t help any either. People don’t seen to take ice into consideration so instead of leaving 5 – 10 minutes earlier I see a traffic light on the ground or worse. A few weekends ago I could have been a witness to 4 accidents in one trip, one of which could have been into me. Don’t even get me started with more people using their smartphones to…oh nevermind. I have a blackberry. Let’s just leave it at that.
In any case, driving can leave you feeling a little deflated or frustrated. Here’s a tip to shave a 5 – 10 minutes off your route if you’re planning on heading south on Osborne during heavy traffic. While you’re heading down Memorial Blvd. (yes, it turns into Osborne and, yes, was previously Colony St. and, yes, was previously Balmoral St. and, yes, was previously Isabel St. and, yes, was previously Salter St. Geez Louise! 6 names for one street within a 2.7km distance!) take furthest right lane. I know all of you are thinking, “but I might get a ticket if I head straight on a right turn only lane like all the other bozos.” Well, today, instead of fighting against the traffic rules we are going to follow them. This will lead you to take a right on St. Mary’s Ave. You will immediately be taking a left on Colony St. (yes, you were just on Colony St. but it changed to Memorial Blvd.) and instead of taking a left on York Ave. to get back onto Osborne (which was just Memorial Blvd.) you’re going to keep heading straight until you reach Broadway. Instead of taking a left, you’re going to be taking a right. Your minds are somewhat perplexed by this counterintuative move. Have faith. When you take a right on Broadway, take the left lane because you will be approaching a left turn light on Balmoral St. (no need for further confusion). If you’re still with me you must be thinking, “where the heck is this going to lead us?” To answer your question, lets head off in a tangent for a second. Let’s assume you took Osborne St. all the way to the bridge. Now you remember where they installed a traffic camera just before the bridge? Yeah, and remember where cars come to yield into the bridge? Yeah, that’s where you’re headed. So back to the directions. You should be heading south on Balmoral St. after turning left from Broadway. Further down Balmoral St. you can take a left on Mostyn St. Mostyn is where the those cars yield onto Osborne just before the bridge. You don’t have to wait too long here to merge. So that’s my tip of the day and it should shave off 5 – 10 minutes off of your cycle of brake and gas. Now I know I’ve made it a tad confusing with added comments so here’s a visual aid for those of you who hate reading my writing. Please supply any feedback if you’ve attempted this route. If you even have your own traffic tip to share, feel free to post below. Thanks and enjoy!
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