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Originally Posted by Nutterbug
Not enough passthrough traffic between Western and Central Canada?
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The AADT along the parts Hwy 17 on the north shore of Lake Superior is less than 2000. That's a quiet road by any standard. No doubt traffic would increase if it got twinned though.
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Originally Posted by vid
No, the speed limit was set by someone who knows that you can't drive more than 70km/h on a winding, two-lane shoulderless road through the swamps and cliffs of Northern Ontario. :\
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Tell that to Quebecers, or even better, Europeans! Northern Ontario has nothing on Europe when it comes to winding, two-lane shoulderless roads. Most of them have a speed limit of 90, and quite a few have heavy truck traffic. When you're used to Canadian roads driving in Europe takes nerves of steel. But it's also a lot more fun. I think Europeans are better drivers - our big, straight roads let us get lazy.
Quote:
Originally Posted by vid
Because the government lacked the foresight to build a real highway, most of that traffic now goes through the US. People who don't want to deal with border crossings will still drive through the region, we get about 6,000 a day or so, but it isn't as much as it was. In Ontario, a highway has to have something like 25,000 people driving on it daily before it can be twinned.
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Actually the guideline is about 10,000 cars daily but that's not set in stone. Parts of Hwy 11 and 69 that are being twinned have less than that, and southern Ontario has a lot of two lane highways that are busier.
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Originally Posted by newflyer
Congrats to Manitoba and Saskatchewan for getting the job done!!
I drove from Calgary to Winnipeg last July and saw all the highway construction. I also noticed something different.. on some of the Saskatchewan portions, they seemed to be building two completely new sets of lanes beside the old and crumbling (soon to be closed?) stretch of highway. If this is the case it should make for great driving in both directions. This whole develpment could not come soon enough, as passing on busy single highways can be very hairy and dangerous. I saw a few close calls on my most rescent trip and it will be great to see fewer deaths on that horrible portion of the Trans Canada.
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Is it really that hard to pass on the two lane portions of prairie highways? I haven't done much prairie driving but I would think most of them are straight and flat with less traffic than I'm used to. Even on two lane roads in the Rockies I found it easy to pass. I think Westerners are just spoiled!