Who do I talk to about getting one of the voice directions on the local buses changed?
You know the ones I mean – the ones that tell you what the next stop on the route is, right?
I really like them, and I can see where they could come in handy for people who (a) aren’t exactly sure where the bus is, but know what their stop is, and (b) people who are so immersed in their cellphone they lose track of where they are,
So, I am still without a car and am doing a lot of walking. One afternoon last week, I didn’t feel liking walking home from downtown, so I caught a bus. That was my first real exposure to the new automated voice system.
Heading home, we come up on Spruceland Shopping Centre, which, according to the voice, means we are coming up to “Spruceland Exchange, Bay B,” which is perfectly accurate.
Except when I heard the voice, the only thing I could think of was how perfect it would be to have that one particular line done in an Austin Powers voice so it would say “Spruceland Exchange, Baby.”
I have no idea whether that can be done, but assuming it can’t, I will just have to amuse myself by hearing that voice in my head whenever I’m on the bus at Spruceland.
As I mentioned earlier, I am still doing a lot of walking, and I think even when I get my car back, I’m going to keep it up. My legs seem to be (slowly) adjusting to the extra exercise and given how early in the morning I’m usually walking, traffic isn’t a problem.
I do my best to be visible, just in case. I have a very bright orange balaclava, which my sister commented made me look like a traffic pylon. I also have a set of snap-on reflective armbands, which are kind of nice to put on and store quite well in one of my coat pockets when not in use.
The trick with the armbands is, when I put them on, to not let the coat sleeve fold back up over them, which would kind of defeat the purpose of having them visible.
The weather forecast for the next week or so seems to look pretty good for walking. I have found, through experience, the only weather I don’t like walking in is where the roads and sidewalks are slippery. I have to put on my cleats, then, and almost invariably end up spending half the trip on pavement, which doesn’t do the cleats any favours.
If it’s cold, I just add another layer. If there’s a lot of snow, put on the big boots and get ready to plow through.
One way or another, I get where I need to be.