By David Dias
If you’re living on campus, you will never have to leave the drunken orgy that is residence. But if you’re not so lucky with Toronto’s expanse of concrete monotony, commuting to school everyday may seem intimidating. There are several places where you can get information to help you around the city including Ryerson’s information desk, TTC ticket vendors, the Ministry of Tourism, (at the Eaton Centre) Tourism Toronto (203-2500), and Ryerson Student Services (979-7351).
Walking
The weather may be nice in September, but come December it’s wet and cold. Luckily, Toronto’s PATH underground concourse will take you from Ryerson’s campus to Union Station without freezing your sensitive ears. Pick up a map of PATH at the Ministry of Tourism.
Some of Ryerson’s buildings are also connected. On your campus map (get it at the info desk), you’ll notice that the A and L buildings are connected to the quad and the quad is connected to the V building. For an extensive tour, call Student Services.
To ensure peace of mind, Ryerson provides Campus Walk and Watch program whereby students can request security officers to walk them places within certain boundaries. For students working late on campus, officers can be asked to stop by on their safety routes. For Campus Walk and Watch, call 979-5001 or push the info button on outdoor emergency blue phones. IN case of an emergency or if you can’t talk, push the red button on emergency phones or dial 80 on any capus phone and a security officer will meet you whether you respond or not.
Cycling
For the health-conscious and poverty-stricken, biking to school is the most efficient mode of travel. For a great map of bike paths in the city, pick up The Other Map of Toronto at Tourism Toronto.
Once you get to school, park your bike at a bike post or on the Victoria St. walkway rail. You also might consider parking your bike near George the hot dog vendor. He has been known to alert security or even yell at bike thieves. And use a u-lock “If you use cables or chains, I can almost guarantee your bike is going to go missing,” says Chris Belanger of Campus Security.
You should also register your bike with security to prove ownership if your bike is recovered.
Public Transit
Ryerson is located right beside Dundas subway station, making the commute easy. The Yellow Pages Guide or the TTC Transit Ride Guide (get it from a ticket vendor) has a map of all the bus and subway routes. The Younge and Bloor bus routes, however, run on a twelve minute schedule 24 hours a day. It’s a great way to get home after a night of drinking. You an buy a monthly TTC Metropass for $88.50; a yearly Metropass costs $972.
If you’re commuting from outside the TTC’s range, the GO transit system is your only option. You can pick up GO Transit information at the GO ticket booth at Union Station, and call Ryerson Student Services to find how to take advantage of GO’s 25 to 35 per cent discount for students.
Also worth note is Ryerson’s Campus Ride Board Program. In September, Student Services will launch a web page where students can find others with whom they can car pool.
Driving
You may try to find a parking metre and feed it every hour, although being at the beck and call of your car is annoying. Even if you can find a metre on Church St., you’ll have to move by 3:30 p.m., lest they tow your vehicle (call the operator for info if they do). A TTC Metropass will allow you to park for free at designated subway stations, like Yorkdale, and take the subway to school. This is cheaper than paying for parking downtown. These stations, however, get filled pretty early in the morning, so you should investigate. For students who insist on parking on campus, we’ve provided a map and price listing of lots around Ryerson (see page 7). Ryerson also offers yearly parking at the unscrupulous cost of $800 plus taxes. Here are some of Traffic Service Constable Art Francis’ suggested routes into the city: from Scarborough, make your way down Dundas St. and drive west to Ryerson; from Markham, the Don Valley Parkway is your best bet; from Richmond Hill, settle for Younge St. south to Ryerson; from Vaughan, take the 401 to Younge St. and drive south; from Mississauga, the Queen Elizabeth is best; and from Brampton, take the 410 south to 40, east to the 427, south to the Gardner Expressway, east to Younge St., then north. But Constable Francis reminds us, “It’s impossible to avoid traffic. No route is a safe route.” Good luck!
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