Cell phones benefit commuters immensely
The cell phone has dramatically improved our lives. We can now bother anyone at any time. This device also a special boon for travelers. On the ground, on the sea or in the air, cell phones have made travel easier, safer and more comfortable.
First, with the advent of the cell phone, exhausted travelers on buses and trains are no longer in any danger of missing their stops due to relaxation or dozing. On every public conveyance, cell phone addicts can be relied upon to prevent quietude by sharing the most inane information, not only with the people on the other end of the call, but with entire busloads and trainloads of strangers.
On the SkyTrain especially, this loud unending chatter acts a free wake-up service. For those who cannot read the route maps or are unable to decipher the recorded voice that announces the stops, cell-toting commuters assist by shouting useful bits of information into their instruments with preternatural loudness: "We're just coming in to Edmonds," or "We've just passed Metrotown."
Those commuting in their own cars have not been left out either. Even with the new law banning hand-held cellphones, there is still the hands-free set. Waiting at intersections, in traffic jams, even while driving at night in the rain or snow, cell-packing commuters can always relieve the boredom by taking both eyes off the road and one hand off the wheel to blab to their friends on their mobiles.
Finally, the cell phone is useful for any ferry or airline passenger expecting to be met on arrival. In spite of the absurd warning that the signals from thousands of cell phones might interfere with docking the ship or landing the plane, droves of arriving passengers call to announce that the ferry is in or the plane has landed. After all, the airport arrivals monitors may be inaccurate. Or someone waiting at the dock in Tsawwassen may not actually see the enormous vessel, the Spirit of Vancouver Island, arrive from Swartz Bay in its accustomed terminal. This can easily happen to those who have been busy text messaging, or downloading music when the ship docked.
Undoubtedly, the cell phone has revolutionized travel for those who go and those why stay. Never again will weary travelers have to endure private moments alone with their own thoughts.