So many Passenger Charter violations!

Hi CJ, 

I just returned from vacation to find this response in my inbox from GO about the Stouffville line changes.  The original email to GO is at the bottom of the email.  Not only did it take 9 business days to reply (I sent in my comments on June 9th), but it doesn't address a thing.  Immediately below, I've also attached some additional correspondence from Facebook.  Feel free to use anything you want to get the word out.  

__________________

GO Transit: Facebook

Go Transit really needs to acknowledge to its Stouffville line passengers that the changes to its schedule are not to their benefit. The change will result in a significantly longer commute time, plus added hassle of transferring at Unionville Stations for those commuting further north. For example, the 11:20am-12:05pm bus from MtJoy to Union station will now become 11:08am-11:31am bus from MtJoy to Unionville Station, 11:46 train from Unionville to Union station arriving at 12:27pm. 45 minutes total time now compared to 1h19m starting next week. This is just one of the many changes as well as the evening commute at 8pm, 8:30pm 9:40pm are increasing by 30 minutes in duration. Please explain yourself GO.

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GO Transit Hi Paul, thank you for your feedback. We'll forward your concern to our team for advisement. This new changing coming to Stouffville line next week is part of the Reginal Express Rail way project. The ultimate goal is to have all-day, two-way train on Stouffville line. You can find more information here: http://www.metrolinx.com/.../reg.../rer/rer_stouffville.aspx ^CW

Metrolinx Regional Express Rail – Stouffville GO line

will be added to GO Transit’s Stouffville line from…

METROLINX.COM

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 · Reply · June 16 at 12:03pm

Paul Gill When the ultimate goal is to have all-day, two-way service at the expense of efficiency then I think you missed linking a key priority that is crucial to your customers. If you provided service every 20 minutes, but if it takes 50% longer, are you truly offering a better service? No, you are only providing more frequent service. Fast, frequent, economical, convenient and reliable service is exactly what you customers expect. Your revised scheduling taking effect June 26th does not check the box of all of the aforementioned priorities Just so you know, my commute time is currently is 20% longer than when I first started taking GO in 2006 from the exact same station.

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 · Reply · June 16 at 12:34pm

From: GO Transit Customer Relations <customerrelations@gotransit.com>
Sent: June 21, 2017 1:39 PM
To: Paul Gill
Subject: We've Received Your Comments EM0016007382

Dear Mr. Gill,

Thank you for your recent email regarding the recent addition of midday and evening trains to the Stouffville line.

We always look for opportunities to tailor our service to meet the needs of our customers.  Although, there are no additional changes that will be made to the board change that takes effect on June 26^th customer feedback on how we can improve service is very important to us.  Your suggestion has documented for review and consideration

Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback.

Regards,

X

Customer Service Representative, Customer Relations, Customer Care 

---

From: Cindy (Cj) Smith <cj@thiscrazytrain.com>Sent: June 12, 2017 1:58 PM
To: Paul Gill
Subject: Re: Stouffville Line Changes.

That's ridiculous. Please forward me the reply. I will publish your email (anonymously) and the reply.

On Mon, Jun 12, 2017 at 11:15 AM, Paul Gill wrote:

FYI - It seems as if GoTransit is touting their new train service to Stouffville, but neglect to share the whole story with its passengers.  Below is an email I sent to customer service.  Just thought I would share since I believe this is incompetent planning at its best.

As a Stouffville line commuter, I "just read the service change update that is posted here: http://www.gotransit.com/Public/en/news/Stouffville/Default.aspx

GOTransit.com - Stouffville www.gotransit.com MORE TRAIN TRIPS. MORE REASONS TO GO. As of June 26th, we’re bringing you a lot

more service on our Stouffville Line, so you and your neighbours can get to Toronto ...

Dear Go Transit,

Following my review of the schedule, I'm shocked if GoTransit actually views this change as a benefit to all its Stouffville commuters.  Correct me if I'm wrong, but my reading of the schedule now suggests that my commute time to Mount Joy station will increase from 37 minutes currently to 1 hour 7 minutes as of June 26th from 8pm onward (with exception of 10:30pm which is 53 minutes).  In addition, underpinning this is the fact that all customers will now be expected to disembark at Unionville station to transition to a bus to proceed northward.  How can you justify that this is a progressive change that is good for your customers if the results are 30 added minutes and an inconvenient transfer on top of this?   You have a lot of explaining to do to your Markham/Stouffville customer base."

Regards,
Paul

Blarrrrrgh

Sure his name was "Simon Smith"...

Are they sure this wasn't Chuck Norris?!@Charfmander https://t.co/qbiYqorL2j

— CJ Smith (@ThisCrazyTrain) June 28, 2017

A man somehow escapes serious injury after being hit by a bus in Reading - he quickly gets up and walks into a pub like nothing's happened pic.twitter.com/rtclMP0zlc

— 5News (@5_News) June 27, 2017

New subsidy much lower than UPX's first year in operation, transportation minister calls it ‘great news.’

The province is subsidizing rides on the Union Pearson Express (UPX) at much lower levels than it did last year, but it still costs the public about $11 every time a passenger boards the controversial air-rail link.

FULL STORY

Oh, look! Some kind of confirmation that I'll be riding a train out from Courtice in 2025

That will put me only 14 years away from retirement and 25 years from when we were first promised a GO train in Clarington. But hey, at least the folks in Kirby will get their train long before we do.

You ready to pay an extra 56 cents to ride the LSE? Board votes on 3% fare hike this Wednesday

Because *whah* fares didn't go up in February.
And you know why, because I would have torn Union Station down to the ground, thus, saving millions of dollars having Carillion do it.

But alas, it was short lived.

For me, as someone who travels Union to Oshawa and back, it's an extra 56 cents a day. This means I'm going to be chopping legs off at the knees. You know why.

*Chop*.

Read the Board agenda

You can already buy coffee at Oshawa GO and I like the coffee at Oshawa GO ... because southern butter pecan!

from:		TW
to:		"cj@thiscrazytrain.com"
date:		Mon, Jun 26, 2017 at 3:05 PM
subject:		Tim's and GO

From GO's quarterly report to the Metrolinx board 

"This spring, we announced a pilot project to bring  Tim Hortons to a select number of GO stations. The new partnership between The Kilmer Group and Metrolinx will provide GO Transit customers with quick, convenient food and drink options from Tim Hortons at four GO stations: Oakville, Clarkson, Ajax and Oshawa"

(http://www.metrolinx.com/en/docs/pdf/board_agenda/20170628/20170628_BoardMtg_Operations_Report_EN.pdf, page 3)

Last time I checked, both Ajax and Oshawa already had places where you could buy coffee... 

Pungent indeed

It may be nothing more than a case of bad optics. But even the whiff of possible political interference in Metrolinx’s decision to approve the construction of two new GO stations — despite a study strongly advising against them — is just too pungent to ignore.

We need answers on proposed #GOtrain stations: Editorial https://t.co/EIQgFzUq2T via @torontostar#gotransit

— CJ Smith (@ThisCrazyTrain) June 26, 2017

Is that an ashtray built into the end of the armrest?

WHICH OF YOU IS OLD ENOUGH TO REMEMBER THESE COACHES?

WHERE DID YOU SMOKE?!

Photo courtesy of Metrolinx

Rolling into the work week before a long weekend like ...

When the daytrippers come on board, all kinds of stupid shit comes with them

Does this make me an elitist commuter?

Yes.

And I don't care what the occasional GO train customers think of me (or the rest of us who commute for work). I really don't. The amount of email I get from people who find this site when looking up schedules or how to scam Presto, who read the posts without realizing their shit is the shit we put up with during rush hours throughout the year, and bombard me with their righteous indignation over how they feel about my opinions about foot riders, suitcase straddlers, vapists, drunks, Blue Jays fans, you name it, gets immediately marked as spam.

I. Don't. Care.

Your annual $100 to $300 Go train fare to daytrip to concerts or a party, pales in comparison to what us "elitists" pay, so we are more than entitled to ask for - and demand - better service; courtesy and a comfortable ride.

If we ask you to be quiet in the quiet zone, then you be quiet in the quiet zone.

And now that we can't even claim a tax rebate for the money we shell out, well, now we're getting even more aggressive about calling you out for your shit.

A busted or jammed door means a thousand of us are now delayed. We don't care where you need to be. We just want to get home and at a time that allows us to enjoy our families, or our garden/patio, or get to an appointment on time.

Don't be a douche. The rules are no bikes during rush hour. I don't bring mine so you can't bring yours. The end.

LSW 16:00.

rider with bike, 2 cars behind engine. IN THE DOOR!@GOtransit @GOtransitLW #GOTransit pic.twitter.com/SE0Bpap5o7

— ᴩᴇᴛᴇʀ ɢ ᴍɪᴛᴄʜᴇʟʟ (@PeterGMitchell) June 22, 2017

car 2233 in case you can't find him.

this is the before picture: pic.twitter.com/CbSiNhtMeC

— ᴩᴇᴛᴇʀ ɢ ᴍɪᴛᴄʜᴇʟʟ (@PeterGMitchell) June 22, 2017

#CommuteWithKindness

This guy bought us a cheesecake after we gave him a free presto card #CommuteWithKindness pic.twitter.com/si5qzTHm7w

— kj (@kianamodeste_) June 22, 2017

You can view the rest of the pictures from yesterday's initiative on Twitter.

Bowmanville students celebrating #CommuteWithKindness day in honour of GO Transit’s 50th Anniversary

TORONTO: June 20, 2017 – A good start to the morning can make a world of difference in anyone’s day. Students at Bowmanville High School are hoping to provide a moment of happiness and get commuters started on a cheerful note during their morning journey to downtown Toronto with their self-titled “Commute With Kindness” Day (social media hashtag: #CommuteWithKindness).

Metrolinx is pleased to support the Bowmanville High School’s 2017 graduating Students On The Leading Edge [SOLE]  Leadership class to spread cheer and pay forward community goodwill. On Thursday, June 22, 2017, students will board Union Station-bound Lakeshore East GO train or GO bus in the morning to perform random acts of kindness for customers.

The students will celebrate their second annual Random Acts of Kindness event while honouring GO Transit’s 50th Anniversary. Commuters can expect to be challenged by trivia acknowledging both GO Transit and Canada’s 150th Birthday!

Members of the media are invited to document the Thursday morning journey by joining students as they travel to Union Station. GO Transit and Transit Safety staff will be on hand to ensure the trip is a safe and memorable one for all involved.

DATE: Thursday, June 22, 2017
TIME: Oshawa to Union train – Group #1 departing Oshawa GO at 0938hrs.
STARTING POINT: Oshawa GO Station – 915 Bloor Street West, Oshawa (Bloor Street & Thornton Road).
DESTINATION: Union Station (65 Front Street West, Toronto).

Good luck getting past Drive Clean

When someone says, "Buy a beater for the #GOtrain station..."
And you take them literally. pic.twitter.com/Henmr5zzSs

— CJ Smith (@ThisCrazyTrain) June 16, 2017

So, how's the cycling going ...?

Great!

Despite the ridiculous weather pattern swings... I managed to get into a routine (cycling posts are still public on Facebook for those cheering me on). Friday night, I had a personal best of 30 km in under 2 hours. And as you can see from the scale picture above, I'm down 20 pounds from my highest weight this year.

I have gained back most of my mobility. There is now renewed strength in my quads. I can sort of stand up and pedal but it's wonky - the balance isn't there yet.

My new bike outperforms my old bike in ways I have come to appreciate, especially when climbing hills. It's lighter and easier to manipulate.

But the best part of this weight loss is the clothes. I can fit into almost everything in my closet but at least, I can wear all my spring and summer pieces. I am continuing to listen to my body. I take breaks. I switch up my routes. I rest. But some rides, I do push myself only to see if I can do it and when I do it, I break into tears every single time.

The police called us to tell us they have a possible ID on one of the kids who stole Veronica, but there's been no further development.

I really doubt I'll ever see that bike again.

Wendel Clark, LLC (Licensed Lawyer Cat) left the ThisCrazyTrain.com family on Saturday, June 17 after a lengthy illness ... my daughter painted this tribute

The provincial government has decided to pursue potentially groundbreaking clean train technology as part of its plans to electrify the GO Transit network

Ontario looks at hydrogen-powered trains for GO Transit https://t.co/1Kpvr3Avw7 via @torontostar

— CJ Smith (@ThisCrazyTrain) June 15, 2017

Life Lessons (go get your Mr. Rogers' cardigan and sneakers, because you'll need them)

Submitted to thiscrazytrain.com

By Anonymous

The following story has 2 morals, both of which will be told first:

1) Do not run to your car.  Nothing is worth those few extra seconds and minutes

2) Do not trust GO Transit to assist in a timely manner in an emergency.

The story:

Caught the 4:30 LSE train and disembarked at Ajax.  Took the elevator to the tunnel as the knee isn't working because of the heat and humidity (had I took the stairs, would not have seen this).

A woman was rushing and either tripped over her feet or someone cut her off and tripped her.  She did a complete faceplant.  Was knocked unconscious and started bleeding profusely from a head wound.

Another woman who was closer to the scene managed to get to the injured woman, keep her immobile (when she came to there was confusion and she fought the hands holding her still) and with scavenged kleenex and napkins made a compress for the head wound.  Two other women called 911, someone called GO Transit from the emergency button and at least one man alerted the station attendants.  

I gave an update to one of the women who got through to 911, and then let the group know the ambulance is coming.  As I was walking as fast as I could to see if the ambulance arrived one station attendant finally arrived.  Taking her sweet ass time to get to the injured woman.  To make matters worse as we made eye contact, the attendant smirked.  There was no hurry to the scene of an emergency.  This was completely unacceptable.

Once the EMTs arrived, I did leave the scene and I called GO Transit once home to mention the completely unacceptable behaviour of the attendant.  Suggesting that if they do not have first aid training, then they need to complete courses, as unconsciousness and blood indicate an emergency.  Heck they are the two things that will get you bumped to the top of the list in the ER. 

In the end, I really hope the injured woman is ok and back on her feet soon.  

But I really hope to never need assistance if everyone reacts the way the station attendant acted.

And please people: rushing to your cars/buses/rides is not worth it.  Especially if it could land you in the hospital.

UPDATE

GO Transit has officially launched an investigation into this incident. 

WIFI coming to GO trains?! It's looking like a possibility (especially for y'all too cheap to buy data - just sayin' ... )

Through an Expression of Interest (EOI) process, Metrolinx endeavors to identify a partner (includes consortiums acting as one group) to provide a fully managed turnkey Customer Wireless Internet Service (which could include partner provided content/infotainment), to all GO Transit passengers throughout their journey to enhance the customer experience.

Metrolinx is also looking for a solution that is cost neutral through a revenue generation model and supports the ability to collect data for the analytical purpose of tracking customer flow and frequency.

Source Document 

I'm being quite serious... TONIGHT IN COURTICE, HAVE YOUR SAY - Holy Trinity High School: 6:30-8:30 pm

Parking.
Definitely parking-and lots of it.
Gas station would be nice.
Flowers. Working elevators.
Trees.
Heated bus shelters.
USB chargers. https://t.co/6zTkkTUA8Q

— CJ Smith (@ThisCrazyTrain) June 8, 2017

To whom it may concern,

As an active role you play in the Clarington community or in transportation, I am inviting you to participate in the upcoming workshops on the development of Clarington’s Transportation Hubs. Please also feel free to forward this notice to other members in your social circles that may be interested in attending. We would like to spread the word about the upcoming community visioning workshops.

This is a special project to develop a high level vision for the two transportation hubs around the future Courtice and Bowmanville GO stations. The intent is to ensure that the development around the stations are appropriately planned. The final vision and concept plan developed through this project will be used to inform a number of Metrolinx studies, as well as the Secondary Plans for each respective area.

Any assistance in getting the word out to as many people as possible would be much appreciated.

Kind regards,

                                                                                          

Planning Services Department    

Municipality of Clarington                                                                         
40 Temperance Street, Bowmanville ON L1C 3A6
905-623-3379 ext. 2422 | 1-800-563-1195

www.clarington.net

ICYMI: Presto had been sharing information with police agencies Re: missing persons and alleged criminal activity

Metrolinx to review Presto privacy policy https://t.co/U9QopLehIb via @torontostar

— CJ Smith (@ThisCrazyTrain) June 6, 2017

There are workers on-site at Burlington today! For how long, no one knows... probably working hard on getting the water fountain up and running now that two elevators are finished

This will be everyone who leaves from #BurlingtonGO now, on #GOTrain 100th B'day, still waiting on renovations to be completed LOL pic.twitter.com/x3CFT9tksu

— TheFayMac (@FayMacsey) May 24, 2017

Chaos! Chaos everywhere!

New platform line up for Lakeshore West and Milton GO trains.

Starts June 7. 

Win $50 on a Presto card in this GO Transit contest by sharing your GO Story (no doubt I'm disqualified right out of the gate here)

Bought a Betty

I've resigned myself to the fact that Veronica is gone and forked out for a new bike (and all new lights, accessories, reflective tape, etc...). I went back to Impala Bicycles in Whitby since they were great to me the first time, even though they no longer sell Giant bikes. I settled on a Specialized Crossroads S/T.

Betty, as I've named her, is 12 pounds lighter than my previous girl (I miss you, Veronica! *sob*). I will admit this weight difference has made a big difference in my rides. Hills are easier and I get better speed. I rode to Hampton from Courtice twice this weekend since the ride was so comfortable. Her tires are wider which makes for a better grip when I drift onto soft shoulders. I'm happy with her.

I also want to thank everyone who shared my search to reclaim Veronica. I deeply appreciate these efforts. I also want to publicly thank a lovely woman who reached out to me to offer me a used bike. I took her up on this offer as I had promised my daughter a bike this year. That meant a lot to me. Thank you.

Your body when your stop's coming up and your boot is ready to push the button

The discarded food container is also a nice touch.
There's so much class being displayed here my nana would be so proud.

Had the most amazing train ride home last night...

It started with garlic and ended with the Walking Dead.

I was late for the train and wound up wedging myself in a quad with three other people intent on carrying their life's possessions to and from work. Bags! Bags everywhere! The woman across from me had a bag for her lunch, a bag for her shoes, a bag for her wallet, a bag for her keys, a bag for her make-up - Jesus, buy a suitcase and be done with it. She made a big production of moving all these bags for me to have a place to put my feet. Lots of sighing. Really? I pay my fare. You're the inconvenience, girly, not I.

Once I was settled in, my nostrils began burning. The woman beside me had obviously been to a garlic festival. It was bad. Really bad. She yawned. Three times. My esophagus closed up. I couldn't breathe through my nose or my mouth. I shrunk down and yanked up my shirt up like a mask.

She and bag lady left the train at Pickering.

This left just two of us in the quad. I was wearing earbuds and the lady I was with, was not. Two other women in a quad across from me were gesturing and pointing at me. I saw this out of the corner of my eye and when I looked up, they both quickly glanced away. I didn't have any music playing at the time because my playlist had stopped, and I could hear music playing from behind me. I pulled my earbuds out, and pulled the earbuds out of the phone and tossed them onto the seat next to me. I began handling my phone in a way to demonstrate I was not listening to anything. Music was still going... and I could tell by their body language they were embarrassed they had fingered the wrong person.

At Ajax, the person seated behind me playing music loudly exited the train.

This guy comes upstairs. He sits in the quad in front of me and begins to watch an episode of the Walking Dead with no headphones and at a volume not acceptable for the Quiet Zone. All we could hear was the growling of zombies, gunshots and tires squealing. No one dared to ask him to turn it off. Instead, there was lot of exchanges of WTF? faces, eye rolling and huffing and puffing. Some guy decided to make a phone call telling whoever was on the other end how annoying the train ride is. It was hysterical. He was loud enough for everyone to hear, on purpose.

At Oshawa, as we were all exiting, some guy who was in the bathroom didn't lock the door and everyone lined up to file out were treated to a view of him fully engaged on the toilet. The woman who rolled open the door turned a deep red and jumped off the train.

It's been a long time since I've rode this crazy train.

(updated CCTV images attached) Someone ripped out my heart, tossed it on the ground, and stomped on it

Below are still images from the CCTV footage of the two kids (kids! not teens as I was first told, although I guess they could be 13/14 - it's hard to tell) who took Veronica. The lock, by the way, is still attached to the bike as he rides away. It would take a laser saw to get it off!

Previously...

Remember Veronica?

Veronica was stolen last night.

Veronica is my bike. And she's been taken from me.

I ride several times a month from Courtice to Bowmanville and back via several routes, and one of the routes takes me right past the Canadian Tire at Green Road and Highway 2. Last night I decided to stop there and make a purchase. While I was in the store, my bike was taken.

There's video of the theft. The video shows me locking up the bike. I remember being really intent on getting the lock connected because it was my first time using it. In the video, which I have not yet seen, but the manager of the store has, you see me checking the lock. What I don't do ... are you ready?! I don't make sure I actually looped the cable through the ring of the coiled bike rack.

CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?!

Neither can I!

My face grows hot and red just thinking about how stupid I am. But, as the assistant manager pointed out, it doesn't matter. Someone still stole something that was mine. Everyone at the Canadian Tire who helped me after I discovered the theft (literally 5 minutes from the time my cycling app paused to the time stamp on the receipt of what I purchased) were amazing and incredibly sympathetic. They cared about me as a customer and it showed.

This is Veronica. The day I bought her. That's my kid. She's heartbroken this has happened - even more than me. She knows how much cycling means to me. This bike has been a huge part of my recovery from serious injury and depression. I can get another bike but I don't WANT another bike. I will be getting one, but I shouldn't have to.

Please share this post on Facebook. It's garage sale season in Durham Region. She may turn up on someone's driveway. Whatever you pay for it, I'll reimburse you. She's a 2015 Giant Liv Cypress W. Serial # C1AK7192. She's blue. She had lights all around. Phone mount. Basket mount. Headlight. Mirror. Water Bottle Holder. She was stolen in Bowmanville in front of the Canadian Tire store on May 29, 2017 at approximately 7:39 pm. And if by chance you know the teens/young men who took it, there's a reward for its return. Please.... Do the right thing.

I really want her back.

cj@thiscrazytrain.com
SMS 9054427423

It's time once again for everyone's favourite game - NAME. THAT. STAIN!

Metrolinx not ready to disclose how much cheaper UP Express fares costs Ontario taxpayers

Union Pearson Express ridership up, but still heavily subsidized https://t.co/a6i3lTkzTK via @torontostar

— CJ Smith (@ThisCrazyTrain) May 26, 2017

Speedy buses are what's needed! LOL

@ThisCrazyTrain @TorontoStar From Oshawa you need one of these. https://t.co/0V4nJcjlWu

— Kenneth (@kennethca66) May 24, 2017

An engineering feat so amazing, every single person subscribed to GO Transit's communication service, got a tweet or email about this

@ThisCrazyTrain WHAT? #GOtransit sent email alerts that 1 of the new elevators is operational?

— GO Voyageur (@GOvoygr) May 24, 2017

What's next?! An email broadcast about a working water fountain?!
Automatic paper towel dispenser?!

Doors that have a button you can push to open them automatically if you are using a mobility device?!

You know summer is *just* around the corner when the elusive bare foot rider comes out of hibernation

In late Spring, the construction worker can be seen busying himself as he prepares his den to welcome summer

@JenInRGB WORKERS! CARRYING THINGS. SAWING STUFF. PULLING STUFF. DOIN ME A CONCOURSE #GOTransit pic.twitter.com/NE7m18F0yH

— CJ Smith (@ThisCrazyTrain) May 18, 2017

Police arrested a man brandishing a knife at Oakville GO Station last week

Currently only one mobility scooter is allowed to be tied down on a train, all others have to be dismantled and/or stowed

Deadline looms for Via to respond to order to change wheelchair policy: https://t.co/kBnx52NUsm pic.twitter.com/637FAj0UMt

— CBC Ottawa (@CBCOttawa) May 14, 2017

When you miss your VIA train

Lolololololololololololololol

@ThisCrazyTrain Probably had more on time stops today than all of @Durham_Transit today.

— Michael Suddard (@MichaelSuddard) May 16, 2017

In Canada, we call people who do this "crazy". Try it on a GO train platform one morning. Let know how it works out for you

500 km in 30 days - I can do this!

Nothing like a nice walk down memory lane, right?

2014 was shaping up to be a really great year. I had started moving my fat ass shortly after December 4, 2011 when I turned in the keys to my leased Chevy Equinox and walked away from car ownership. I was car free for almost six years. But now I drive a Fiat. Don't judge.

I walked EVERYWHERE. And I took the kid with me. We walked to daycare, to the store, to the park, to the library, to swimming lessons. Then I bought a bike - a real shitty one off of Kijiji, with a bike trailer and I rode it EVERYWHERE. I took the kid with me. To daycare, to the store, to the park, to the library ... you get the idea.

I then took up long distance walking, averaging 10 km a night for five nights out of a week. I walked through the ice storm, through rain, hail, over ice, through heavy snow and once, in a blizzard (uphill, too). I lost 90 pounds in under two years.

Fast forward to Thanksgiving 2014. I'm the most fit I've ever been but unbeknownst to me, my right knee was having no more of this shit, and I blew out my ACL while trying to take up running. It was a stupid move.

For those of you who have heard all of this before, I'm glad you're hanging in there. It's repetitious because I have to tell the 'new to this blog' folks my whole life story. Forgive me.

Long story short, I injured many other parts of my legs and feet, and in the middle of this past April, after a really bad day and many months of feeling sorry for myself, AND piling on 30 pounds over the past two years, I decided I had enough.

That's me, a year ago to this day. Injured and miserable.

Despite the pain, I was going to cycle 500 km in 30 days. I got back in touch with my dietitian. We worked out a plan and I was going to commit to it. The first week was hell. I also was told to quit alcohol. Although I am NOT an alcoholic, I can sympathize greatly with those who struggle to abstain because THEY HAVE TO, and not by choice. Next to giving up sugar, abstaining from alcohol is god damn hard because I LOVE TO DRINK. Unfortunately, my body doesn't like it, and it causes all kinds of bloating and inflammation I just don't need.

Advil Arthitis in its pretty yellow and teal bottle is my only vice these days.

To track my cycling progress, I am using S-Health which is built into my Samsung S7 with GPS enabled. I also hooked up my Adidas fitness tracker and was surprised by how accurate S-Health is. I no longer strap on the Adidas device.

For simplicity, and for those who want to follow along, I've made all of my cycling posts public on Facebook. I reached 200 km last night in 11 days of bicycling.



For those who are thinking of trying this same challenge, I encourage you to invest in a good hybrid bike. I gave up the shitty Kijiji bike in June of 2015. You don't need to spend a lot of money. The one I have is the Giant LIV Cypress DX W - the W stands for women and it comes with a saddle specially designed for our lady bits. I've put over 2000km on this girl and it's still going strong. Also, don't clip your feet. You're not trying out for the Tour de France here. You'll want to be able to kick your legs out as you go down a hill, trust me. It's exhilarating. Start out slow before you ramp up to 500 km in 30 days. Stretch. Do hamstring curls. Take care of your ankles. Follow AskDoctorJo on YouTube. Her videos will help you get your body ready.

I also suggest that you buy a nice sized jar of Vaseline. There are all kinds of special cycling pastes and creams sold to ease saddle soreness and chafing, but Vaseline or its econo version, Petroleum Jelly (same thing really, just not name brand) will quickly become your best friend. And don't be stingy, coat it on, coat it everywhere, in all the valleys and crannies, ladies. Don't spend money on fancy cycling clothes. You don't need them. Tights and a t-shirt, or long sleeve shirt, whatever, it works (and for god's sake, don't wear black - you need to be visible). Don't wear a windbreaker. They act like fucking parachutes. I learned the hard way. You'll also want lights, flashing lights, a headlight, reflective tape, wrap around glasses (because bugs!) helmet, horn (not a bell, HORN) and tunes. Buy a bike mount for your phone so you can listen to your music as you ride. Don't use headphones. You need to hear cars. 

I'm lucky I live less than 2 km from some of the most amazing rural road bike routes in Durham Region, which is why I can cover the distance that I do. Find out where your local bike paths are, and bike lanes, and use Map My Ride to plan a route. Or, come out my way, park your car in the plaza at Highway 2 and Courtice Road, and just ride. And for god's sake, for the love of all things holy, STOP AT STOP SIGNS. I have zero respect for cyclists who blow through them. All you do is piss off drivers who then decide that I'm one of you, and so they do stupid things to "teach me a lesson". You're feeding into the game. Just obey the rules of the road. Don't be a dick.

I've lost 10.8 pounds in the past month and I'm down 14 pounds from my highest weight this year. My muscles and tendons have loosened up. The strength in my quads has slowly returned. I can get up off a chair without pushing myself up with my arms. I can now wear 65% of the clothes in my closet, up from 25%, and I move better. There's still pain, I won't lie, but it is no where near the level it was before April.

I have accepted that I will never be able to run again and though I've tried, I can no longer play tennis and probably never will again. That's been the hardest part of all this. I've played tennis since I was six years old. It was my passion. I can't part with my rackets. Tennis was a part of my life that was great and rewarding.
It's been heartbreaking to accept.

I'm also being careful to listen to my body. I rest when I should. The anxiety I had about re-injuring myself has greatly subsided.

I'm not a pro athlete and never will be. I'm just a fat girl on a bike.

Presto pulls through ... thank you

X
Today at 2:02 PM
To Cindy Smith

Afternoon Cindy, so what we have is this:

You loyalty steps cannot be transferred with your funds, so we will need to let GO complete that at the end of the month. I will check on that on June 1st to ensure it is completed.

Your funds and registration have been sent to the machines and will be picked up by your card on your way home this evening.

I also took the liberty of adding $6 reimbursement for the card purchase and $10.85 for your ticket in this morning, as this would not be included on your loyalty calculation.

Sorry we couldn’t get the loyalty steps transferred, but we will ensure that it is completed for you.

Have a great afternoon,

Name withheld
Customer Care
PRESTO /METROLINX | 20 Bay St | Toronto|ONTARIO | M5J 2W3
This e-mail message is privileged, confidential and subject to copyright. Any unauthorized use or disclosure is prohibited.

I like to drive my car... for now...

Getting used to having my own car again has felt weird each morning and evening when I drive it. There's some guilt when I see the Durham Transit 922 bus, but then I feel vindicated when I cross paths with the Durham Transit 411 bus and notice it's running late. I thought I could stop caring. But I can't.

It's only been a week, but on average, it has taken me 18 minutes to get to the GO station each morning. I leave the house 20 minutes later than when I left for when I took the bus (two buses because there's a transfer). So I can sleep 20 minutes longer (and I have ... and it's glorious). It doesn't sound like much, but I'm not waiting for a bus that may, or may not, be on time, which was the reason for breaking down and buying a car.

Parking at Oshawa GO has not been an issue because my car is so ridiculously small. I can easily find a spot next to a parking donkey with a pickup truck who has left no room beside it and the vehicle one over from it for a sedan or larger. I fit. I've been scoring some premium parking spots.

I've been averaging 25 minutes to get home (some days, exiting Oshawa's parking lot is a breeze, and other days, it's a nightmare) compared to 30 minutes on the GO bus and a 20-minute walk, because I am unable to use the same bus sequence with Durham Transit I would take in the morning for the evening bus ride home. In total, I'm getting back over an hour of my time every day by driving.

There are pros and cons to this decision I've made. So far, the pros are outweighing the cons. It's still early. I'll get back to you on this in six months...

My Presto card broke. Again. And because people don't read every word of every post, this post also has a shout out to the amazing CSR at Oshawa GO Station re: 8:30pm on May 11 (Holla!)

It may be time to run another contest. It was just a little over 2 years ago that my Presto card cracked... and now its replacement has met the same fate!

Surprisingly, nothing has changed with respect to the hassle for replacing a card. You still have to pay $6 for a new card. No warranty is offered. Your old balance can't be transferred right away. You have to spend close to an hour in telephone IVR hell across two different phone systems (Go Transit and Presto Card) to get the new card registered, and initiate the balance transfer and STILL... STILL ... STILL lose your loyalty steps. So then you have to rant and rave on Twitter and hope that someone reaches out and tries to help.

I've been told loyalty steps can be re-established but it's on a case by case basis. I've got a ticket in with GO about this and an email has been sent to an analyst at Presto Card. But until I have an answer, while all of y'all are paying $1.31 a ride on the days near the end of this month. I'll be the sucker paying full fare.

However, it wasn't all bad, at Oshawa GO, I had a great interaction with the agent working last night. She was incredibly helpful and took great care of me, which I appreciated. Front line staff at GO have all my respect. ALL OF IT.

I'll post an update about my loyalty steps when I know more.

GO Transit turns 50. No need to advertise it.

In my opinion, this monstrous banner hanging in the great hall at Union Station plus the other advertising signage on trains and in the York Concourse are a waste of money. There's a whole campaign around this milestone. Why? Do you care? I don't care.

What GO should have done, was have their history available online from the day they launched their website. No need for a timeline now. 

But what makes this second sign eye-roll inducing is the fact that Burlington GO still isn't finished and the escalator at Aldershbot GO is now two years in waiting on a part. So, despite what GO is selling, they are slow.

Meh.

It was -39C when this CN conductor rescued this cat from a train back in December