Highways in Canada

[sonysnob]

^ Where? I don't recall any such signs, aside from the blue ones at the city limits.

[Dengler Avenue]

Originally Posted by sonysnob

^ Where? I don't recall any such signs, aside from the blue ones at the city limits.

Yea that

[wave46]

Originally Posted by Acajack

Funnily enough, Ottawa still has "Ottawa" as a control city in tons of places within the city limits. Often well within the city limits.

For example, this is just before St-Laurent Blvd. so well within the urbanized part of Ottawa (and well inside the Greenbelt too), but it still says "Ottawa" as the destination for the 417.

Fairly new (post-merger) signage in parts of Ottawa like Kanata, Orleans and Barrhaven also points to "Ottawa" as a control city.

I don't understand why the suburbs of Ottawa got special treatment either, especially post-merger.

You still see newer signs with "Nepean" and "Kanata" on them, while within Toronto, I've never seen "Scarborough" or "North York" listed, despite those cities having been merged at the same time.

Was there ever signage that indicated the suburb of Toronto one was in?

[sonysnob]

^ I think the DVP used to have signs indicating what city you were in as you drove, but I don't ever recall any signs indicating the former cities on the 401.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by sonysnob

^ I think the DVP used to have signs indicating what city you were in as you drove, but I don't ever recall any signs indicating the former cities on the 401.

Yes there were I am almost positive. Also a Municipality of Metro Toronto sign. All were blue.

[hipster duck]

Originally Posted by wave46

Was there ever signage that indicated the suburb of Toronto one was in?

In the 90s, there were signs on major arterials when you crossed from one metro municipality into another.

E.g. "North York, pop. 5XX,XXX, the city with a heart!" and "East York. Canada's only borough."

They're long gone, though.

[sonysnob]

I went looking for old signs on the 400 series of highways, but I can't find anything for the former cities on the provincial roads. All I could find where signs for Metro:




These were from 1989 on the 400. I have some similarly old photos of the 401 and QEW, but I can't find any old signs for any of the former cities (and borough).

[Andy6]

Originally Posted by sonysnob

I went looking for old signs on the 400 series of highways, but I can't find anything for the former cities on the provincial roads. All I could find where signs for Metro:

...

These were from 1989 on the 400. I have some similarly old photos of the 401 and QEW, but I can't find any old signs for any of the former cities (and borough).

I don’t remember any. It would have been unnecessary clutter on a highway like the 401.

On city roads there were sometimes a few, like the Borough of York sign at the foot of the Allen Road, announcing that it was the twin city of Aquila, Italy.

[kxl]

Originally Posted by Acajack

Toronto... no where to be seen

https://www.google.com/maps/@45.3451915,...43J0az8ME17UcngqFGxtA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

But it is also possible to head to Toronto on Hwy 417 west (via Hwy 7 from Carleton Place).

[sonysnob]

^ Toronto is signed via Highway 7 from the 417:

https://goo.gl/nQaT8h

[Dengler Avenue]

Originally Posted by sonysnob

^ Toronto is signed via Highway 7 from the 417:

https://goo.gl/nQaT8h

I heard 7 was preferred over the oft-congested 2 before 401 was a thing. Perhaps that’s why? Also it’s bizarre that Peterborough isn’t signed. From Pet heading east, there will be a sign saying “Ottawa 279 km”.

[swimmer_spe]

Originally Posted by Dengler Avenue

Clarification: These are control cities as they should be.

Question though: There are so many cities that MTO will probably require 2 billboards instead of 1 due to sight line issues. Will that confuse people even more? Usually people will think the 2nd one’s just repeating what’s said on the 1st one in French.

401 east of Toronto needs to say the 4 cities in Durham Region first, before those 3. I’d still add Trenton in because of the CFB.

Highway 11 north leaving North Bay has 2 distance signs:
https://www.google.ca/maps/@46.3355161,-...C3gUDEOBdJTROIg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en

[Dengler Avenue]

Originally Posted by swimmer_spe

Highway 11 north leaving North Bay has 2 distance signs:
https://www.google.ca/maps/@46.3355161,-...C3gUDEOBdJTROIg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en

Very nice. One for immediate towns and another for farther major ones. Interesting that Hearst doesn’t make the list.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by sonysnob

^ Toronto is signed via Highway 7 from the 417:

https://goo.gl/nQaT8h

Yes, there is dumb, and then there is dumber.

So I assume at least some of those Russian or Brazilian tourists who don't instinctively know what the 401 is who miss the exit for the 416 5 km east of there, will take Highway 7 through the sticks to get from Ottawa to Toronto...

The worst is that this is all fairly new signage, installed after the 416 was completed.

[sonysnob]

^ Why is that dumb? Highway 7 to Toronto is considerably shorter in distance than the routing via the 416.

https://www.google.ca/maps/dir/Toronto,+...d15ed!2m2!1d-75.6971931!2d45.4215296!3e0

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by sonysnob

^ Why is that dumb? Highway 7 to Toronto is considerably shorter in distance than the routing via the 416.

https://www.google.ca/maps/dir/Toronto,+...d15ed!2m2!1d-75.6971931!2d45.4215296!3e0

It's definitely a slower routing. (In addition to not being as safe.)

Directional signage should prioritize the fastest routes, not necessarily the shortest ones.

[The Chemist]

Originally Posted by wave46

The US Interstate system is much better. An example: Interstate 10 in Phoenix lists the next western control city as Los Angeles, as opposed to some weird little place like Quartzsite, AZ.

The right way to do things IMO would be to list multiple control cities in order. A sign on Highway 401 in Scarborough would be have the cities of Kingston, Cornwall and Montreal listed in that order. A sign for Highway 2 north in Calgary would have Red Deer and Edmonton listed.

Chinese expressways are signed quite well, very similar to US Interstates. National Expressways (G expressways) typically list the terminal city of the expressway (particularly if it's Beijing or Shanghai) as well as the next provincial capital or other prefecture level city along the route. Provincial Expressways (S expressways) do tend to show smaller cities but the direction you need to go at a junction is typically very obvious regardless.

[sonysnob]

Originally Posted by Acajack

It's definitely a slower routing. (In addition to not being as safe.)

Directional signage should prioritize the fastest routes, not necessarily the shortest ones.

Highway signage should prioritize the most direct routes, not necessarily the most high speed ones.

Highway 7 is pretty comparable to most Toronto to Ottawa trips, particularly if the destination is anywhere in the north GTA. Google tends to overestimate travel times on two lane highways.

Is Highway 7 unsafe?

[sonysnob]

Originally Posted by The Chemist

Chinese expressways are signed quite well, very similar to US Interstates. National Expressways (G expressways) typically list the terminal city of the expressway (particularly if it's Beijing or Shanghai) as well as the next provincial capital or other prefecture level city along the route. Provincial Expressways (S expressways) do tend to show smaller cities but the direction you need to go at a junction is typically very obvious regardless.

There is a lot of variability in US interstate signage between different states. For example, Los Angeles is the control city for I-10 west from Phoenix, but from Los Angeles, the eastbound control cities are first San Bernardino, Redlands and then Indio before finally switching to Phoenix once well into the Coachella Valley.

[Dengler Avenue]

Originally Posted by sonysnob

Highway signage should prioritize the most direct routes, not necessarily the most high speed ones.

Highway 7 is pretty comparable to most Toronto to Ottawa trips, particularly if the destination is anywhere in the north GTA. Google tends to overestimate travel times on two lane highways.

Is Highway 7 unsafe?

Not necessarily. But one slow driver in front of you doing less than 80 kph can piss you right off.