Tunnel Vision: Behind the Commuter, a Reason

By Brendan O'Hallarn Wednesday, February 24, 2010

At first, I got kinda mad about it.

After last week’s column about pleasure drives I’d like to take was published on WYDaily, a number of readers chimed in with abrupt comments such as “You should move,” as a remedy to my four-days-per-week commute to Old Dominion University. I was struck by how cavalierly caustic some of the comments were.

But thinking about it a little more, I can understand why someone who doesn’t know me, save for my weekly diatribes about traffic in Hampton Roads, would offer what seems like a simple solution.

Except it’s not that simple. First, backstory.

I moved here two and a half years ago from my native Canada, so we could be closer to my wife’s family as our children grew up. Millions of young families make the same decision we did.

Obstacle No. 1. The Department of Homeland Security decided to delay my Green Card application, so for the first five months we were here (helping the family deal with grieving after a relative died suddenly) I wasn’t even allowed to look for work.

Obstacle No. 2. My Green Card arrived April 1, 2008, right when the economy went off a cliff, into the worst recession the nation has seen in 25 years.

I was lucky to find ANY work, latching on at WYDaily in August of 2008. I then had to jump at a chance to take a job at Old Dominion University six months later. I’ve been here a little over a year.

I love living in Williamsburg. I want to raise my two young children here. We live down the street from my in-laws, which I vowed we’d never do, but now I love.

Here’s the thing. I’ve found I’m far from alone in my desire to live here, but need to take to the road to Richmond or Virginia Beach to make a viable living every day.

The Young Emerging Professionals of Williamsburg is a group of achievers under age 40, who gather for events around the Historic Triangle, to network and do charitable works. I would join the group, except I’m neither young nor emerging.

I do feel like I have a lot in common with many of the members. One big thing: many of us have to drive to a bigger center for work.

Matt Ridjaneck works for a company headquartered in Virginia Beach, but wants to live in Williamsburg, because that’s where his friends and family live. Ridjaneck even played football for the College of William and Mary.

“My company doesn’t have a Williamsburg office,” he says. “I actually don’t mind the drive because I have a little more flexibility than most people when it comes to my schedule. I don’t always have to be at the office first thing in the morning, so I can often avoid awful morning tunnel traffic.”

Like me, Ridjaneck would rather not have to commute so many miles for work, but makes the best of it, listening to the radio or books on CD, or just helping to prepare for the busy work day.

“Of course, in a perfect world I would have to spend much less time on the road or sitting in traffic but for now, while I am working very hard to build my business, I can’t waste time complaining about the tunnel or how long my commute takes. I can only work as hard as I possibly can to support myself and my family, even if that does mean fighting the Tunnel,” Ridjaneck says.

Lisa Evans is attending law school in Virginia Beach. She and her partner can’t sell their home in Gloucester Pt., because they’ll lose thousands of dollars at a time they can ill afford it. So, like Matt and me, Lisa takes to the road as well.

Not that she’s all that happy about it.

“Here is what the issue is: our planners and leaders of this community have failed us when it comes to transportation. Look at Newport News, VA Beach, Norfolk and the HRBT,” Evans says. “Where are the rail lines that connect from city to city?  Also what about trying to work with the Military to stagger work start times or to provide incentives for their employees to car pool?”

Evans says in Washington DC, the federal government provides a subsidy for workers who take mass transit to work.

“I know we do not have Metro but we need to get creative fast because the roads are not going to get better any time soon.”

Brendan O’Hallarn writes Tunnel Vision for WYDaily. He loves to hear from you, even when you scold him. Honest. Write him at brendan@wydaily.com.