GETTING AROUND GRIDLOCK
From carpooling to flexible schedules, some Toronto employers are taking steps to help their staff avoid getting stuck in Pan Am traffic,
The Pan Am Games are riding into town on the backs of commuter rage.
But we’ve been warned for months about the impending Games and potential traffic hell — so why brace for gridlock when you can avoid it altogether?
Some Toronto businesses and schools are tackling the traffic issue head on, with employers shuttering their doors during the Games, doling out vacation days, allowing staff to work remotely, encouraging carpooling or offering employees a flexible work schedule.
“I know that the traffic volumes are anticipated to be a little bit higher,” said Megan Fielding, a senior communications manager with Telus. “So to maximize my workdays, I wanted to use our mobile program to avoid that.”
Fielding typically works from home a couple of days a week, but during the Games, she’ll work remotely as many as four days a week.
She may even head out of town to Burlington, where her parents live. If she needs to come back to Toronto, she’ll use Telus’s smart-commute program, which connects her with other employees who are carpooling into the city, allowing them to take advantage of the temporary high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes.
The move to alter commuting routines citywide comes following the province’s $61-million summergames transportation plan, contingent on a 20-percent traffic reduction.
Transportation Minister Steven Del Duca has previously said he has “faith” Ontarians will swap cars for public transit, carpool, use the temporary HOV lanes and adjust work hours. Across the city, employers are finding different ways to accommodate workers.
At York University, which is playing host to several Pan Am events, the school implemented a “summer break” during the height of the games, from July 21to July 24. The university hopes the move cuts down on campus traffic and eases students’ commute concerns, a school representative said.
Ryerson University is asking its employees to take vacation, work flex hours and to consider working from home, if possible, and the University of Toronto is also asking managers to let staff work flexible hours or telecommute. Others are taking more drastic measures. The Law Society of Upper Canada — located adjacent to Nathan Phillips Square, a location described as the epicentre of the Pan Am Games — will close its doors for the first day of the Games this Friday.
The move was designed to ease concerns about security — crowds wandering into the public building — and employees’ ability to get to work, said law society communications adviser Susan Tonkin.
At least one downtown office plans to shut down for the entire two weeks of the Games.
“It’s hard enough to find parking downtown at the best of times,” said dental office manager Vicky Teague. “Nobody’s going to want to come in to have their teeth cleaned.”
Teague said her clients include Pan Am employees who suggested her office close during the Games months ago.
But other employers are gearing up for an influx of business.
“Some Canadian banks have operations in the Caribbean and Latin America and anticipate that branch traffic in some areas could increase with visitors from those countries in the GTA,” said a representative from the Canadian Bankers Association. “Banks will adjust their staffing levels as needed.”
As for the city of Toronto, divisions have been asked to prepare travel plans for their staff, including taking public transit, changing travel routes, adjusting start and finish times and holding virtual meetings, said spokeswoman Jackie DeSouza. The measures are in line with the Ministry of Transportation’s plan, DeSouza said, which includes suggestions to businesses, such as avoiding rush-hour travel, offering services outside peak travel times and holding meetings via video conferences.
But not everyone is preparing for the worst.
“As of right now, we are keeping hours the same,” said Debra Goldblatt-Sadowski, president and founder of Rock-it Promotions, located at Richmond St. W. near Spadina Ave.
“A lot of our team are lucky to live in close proximity to our office and ride their bikes or walk to the office,” she noted. “For those of the team that rely on public transit, we’ll see how their daily commute is affected and change accordingly.”