Highways in Canada

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by FrAnKs

Well I'm not sure, hence when I always drive 118-120 between Québec city to Montréal every months or so, and I looks like I pass 90% of the cars I meet.

I should check again because it's summertime now...
It may depend of the Expressways aswell. A20 seems faster than A40 cause it's the main Autoroute of the province such as 401 in Wintario.

My observation is that it is generally faster than that.

One thing I have noticed in recent years is that average speeds in Quebec and Ontario seem to have converged. Since I've been driving Quebecers have slowed down a bit and Ontarians have sped up. So it's now about the same speed on the 401 or the 417 vs. the A20 or the A40.

Although the driving is still more aggressive in Quebec - if you hog the left (passing lane) here it will take about 10 seconds for someone to be right on your bumper, maybe flashing his lights even.

I have family who live just east of Ottawa so I frequently do ON-174, then ON-417 and then QC A-5 and QC A-50 all in one stretch and the difference in aggressivity is very noticeable once you cross the bridge.

[FrAnKs]

I think the state of our roads and how they're built may explain many things. Short merge lanes that let your few seconds to merge, aswell as wrong indications, non existant paint on the road in some places and pothole , makes you looks like a dumb while driving in that. But are we really dumb, or just confused about our cheap roads ??

I've always, really, though our agressivity was a myth.

If it's true, I hope that being french is not the reason because I hate this reason...

[1overcosc]

Originally Posted by Chadillaccc

It is like a different world driving in Ontario compared to here. Holy fuck, I have never experienced so many sniveling gutless pukes behind the wheel in all of my life as I have in Calgary. In Ontario, people pass... and merge onto a highway correctly... and go the speed limit! Or faster even! In Calgary... 3 lanes, all going the same speed, no one passing, all driving under the speed limit. This is a beyond regular occurrence. It is enough to give someone a rage heart attack!

Holy crap Calgary must be horrible. I always complain that Ontarians can't merge or pass properly....

It could potentially be a matter of familiarity with freeways? Correct me if I wrong but I'm under the impression that most of Calgary's freeway network is fairly new, expressways with traffic lights were the norm until not too long ago. Whereas in Ontario our cities have had fully grade separated freeways for half a century or more. Also all the migration to AB may contribute; I imagine there's lots of new arrivals from places where freeways aren't common. But if that was the case, you'd think Toronto would be atrocious due to all its immigration, whereas Toronto is better than Ottawa.

[niwell]

Calgary is better than it was 10 years ago, but when I go back the quality in driving is noticeable. People in Ontario seem accustomed to 400 series highways. Another occurrence that seems more common there in winter is the SUV driver that feels they can go 20 over the speed limit in icy conditions. It's kind of funny seeing so many in the ditch when I'm outside the city.

[Taeolas]

New Brunswick's rural divided highways have 110 as a limit, and standard traffic flow is 120. Overall we do seem fairly good at the "Keep Right except to Pass" rule, though you often have long stretches of left lane driving due to the high amount of transport traffic we have. (What you get when you tear up your rail network Grrrr...)

Our density isn't really thick enough differentiate rural and urban freeway driving, though there tends to be a bit more left hand driving. Then again I think we may only have 1 three lane stretch in the entire province, somewhere around Moncton. It's 2 lane each way the rest of the province.

[sonysnob]

Ontario's MTO is currently reconstructing the northbound lanes of Highway 400 through northern Simcoe County. In order to handle peak directional flows, the southbound lanes of the highway (not currently being reconstructed) was widened to three lanes with a zipper median installed. During peak northbound flows (to Cottage Country), the zipper median is positioned allowing two northbound lanes with one southbound lane, and during peak southbound flows (towards Toronto), the zipper median is positioned so that there are two southbound lanes and only a single northbound lane.

I was en route up to Bala over the weekend, and thought it looked pretty neat, so I took a few pictures:

[leftimage]

Originally Posted by Acajack

Although the driving is still more aggressive in Quebec - if you hog the left (passing lane) here it will take about 10 seconds for someone to be right on your bumper, maybe flashing his lights even.

Amen to that... and the Ontarians STILL don't get it.

It may have to do with the higher rate of immigrants, but the 401 IMO features the most ghastly highway drivers in Canada/US. Aloof minivans going 110kmh in the left lane for long stretches, pick-up trucks dangerously swerving around slow drivers at 140kmh, amped-up 18-wheelers seemingly fucking with everyone on the road. It's an explosive cocktail of driving styles (too cautious and too dangerous) that really makes the experience unnerving.

the road quality may be better in Ontario, but gimme Quebec highways any day

[The Chemist]

I always get a laugh about people complaining about Canadian drivers. If you want to experience seriously bad drivers, you have to try driving in China. Seriously, the drivers here make even the worst of Canadian drivers look like model citizens. I've never had less fun driving than I did driving in rural China - it was a real white knuckle experience.

[Boris2k7]

My dad has recounted some of his Chinese highway experiences. "And not a fuck was given that day" would be a pretty accurate bumper sticker for most Chinese drivers. Rules schmooles.

[1overcosc]

Originally Posted by sonysnob

Ontario's MTO is currently reconstructing the northbound lanes of Highway 400 through northern Simcoe County. In order to handle peak directional flows, the southbound lanes of the highway (not currently being reconstructed) was widened to three lanes with a zipper median installed. During peak northbound flows (to Cottage Country), the zipper median is positioned allowing two northbound lanes with one southbound lane, and during peak southbound flows (towards Toronto), the zipper median is positioned so that there are two southbound lanes and only a single northbound lane.

I was en route up to Bala over the weekend, and thought it looked pretty neat, so I took a few pictures:

NOW THAT IS F**KING AWESOME. Inner roadway geakery satisfied.

[haljackey]

Very cool! Reminds me of this



Via http://www.reddit.com/r/gifs/comments/1qw9ad/giving_drivers_an_extra_lane_during_rush_hour/

Source video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMyjJLkM-LU

[speedog]

Originally Posted by b31den

The speed limit in Alberta is 110 and most traffic goes about 110-130, at least on hwy 1. I suspect hwy 2 may have higher speeds, but I never drive it.

Speed limit in Alberta on most divided highways is 110kph, undivided with proper emergency lanes/shoulders are generally 100 and 2 lane highways with no or limited shoulders are usually 80kph. That said, the 110kph divided highways will usually see traffic running 120-125 with plenty still doing 110 - much beyond that and you risk the wrath of the RCMP.

In the cities, the divided freeways are set at 100kph for the most part although there are some sections of Deerfoot Trail that are 110kph inside of Calgary's city limits. Roads like Crowchild Trail, which some may or may not consider a freeway for a good part of it's length, is set at 80kph if I remember correctly which is too low IMHO.

Now if one drives on the #1 Transcanada highway between Calgary and Medicine Hat, doing 140 is usually not an issue - so little traffic, only 4 towns/cities of which only 2 that the speed limit is lowered for (Strathmore and Redcliff), and only 22 corners/curves for the 300 or so kilometers and calling some of those curves is being very gracious.

[FrAnKs]

Originally Posted by leftimage

Amen to that... and the Ontarians STILL don't get it.

the road quality may be better in Ontario, but gimme Quebec highways any day

Here's a Timelapse that show a good example about how Québec drivers seems let the fast (left) lane clear after they passed someone.

It's a video of the new Montreal's beltway (A30)

Edit : I just realized that it's a video from you


• Video Link

[MTLskyline]

Here's one I took on the weekend of Route 132 in La Prairie. This was re-paved a few years ago in concrete. I believe it may have bankrupted the construction company involved.


(my photo)

[FrAnKs]

I prefer concrete highways. It may feel less comfortable to drive than Asphalt, hence it's a lot more durable.

[MolsonExport]

Originally Posted by FrAnKs

Here's a Timelapse that show a good example about how Québec drivers seems let the fast (left) lane clear after they passed someone.

It's a video of the new Montreal's beltway (A30)


• Video Link

Excellent video. I haven't been able to drive it yet.

[Innsertnamehere]

if only they could do that zipper thing with the bridge they are replacing on highway 11 outside of Gravenhurst.. alas its not easy to add an additional lane to a bridge temporarily, and thus cottage bound traffic (with me stuck in the middle of it) is stuck sitting there waiting to get through.

The A-30 was actually really nice, though the (bridge?) toll was unusual for Canada. roads seem to almost always be priced as "free" here.

[FrAnKs]

There is only 2 tolled Expressways in the province of Québec : A30 & A25 ... so Tolls are rare aswell.

[SignalHillHiker]

You're lucky, Franks.

Outside of St. John's, we generally don't have enough traffic or divided highways for hogging the left lane to be a real problem. Where it could be, though, people are usually pretty aggressive about keeping speeds up in that lane.

Speeds are high here too. The limit is 80-100 km/hr, depending on the highway and area, but people get tickets for going up to 150 km/hr all the time. You can usually get up around 130 km/hr before you need to start passing people.

Even in the city. I filmed this a week or two ago... the speed limit is 50. Normal traffic flow hit 70+.

• Video Link

[SignalHillHiker]

The joys of the morning commute in St. John's.