Keep calm and . . .

Even on a good day, travel in Toronto and the surrounding region is fraught with uncertainty. Infuriating delays can result from factors as varied as a stalled car on a highway to a shut subway system.

Within a few weeks expect a fresh hurdle: highway lane restrictions to accommodate the Pan Am Games. Traffic slowdowns seem unavoidable. But rather than ranting and raging and castigating local planners, commuters would do well to take delays in stride.

With the 2015 Pan American Games attracting an anticipated 250,000 visitors, organizers are installing 235 kilometres of temporary high-occupancy vehicle lanes on sections of Hwy. 401 and the 404, and on major routes such as the Don Valley Parkway, Queen Elizabeth Way and the Gardiner Expressway.

For much of July these lanes will be set aside for buses, official Pan Am Games vehicles, and cars carrying three or more occupants. Rules ease up for the Parapan Am Games, allowing cars with two or more occupants from July 28 to Aug. 18.

Gridlock will almost certainly worsen. But it’s important to remember these lane restrictions will last for just a few weeks and they’re for a worthwhile cause — building a lasting legacy through much-needed expansion of Ontario’s sports infrastructure.

There are steps commuters can take to ease the pain of slowdowns. Pan Am organizers are hoping for a 20-per-cent reduction in normal traffic volume as more people opt to take public transit, carpool, work from home, travel in off-peak hours, or schedule vacations to coincide with the Games. And businesses are being urged to use teleconferencing.

Games organizers have taken a “transit-first approach” by arranging to have Pan Am ticket holders ride free on public transit on the day of their event. TTC and GO Transit service will be significantly enhanced, giving people more opportunity to avoid using their car.

So, yes, a hot summer of aggravated gridlock likely lies ahead. But the best course is to heed the advice of a now-cliché Second World War motivational poster: Keep calm and carry on.