Highways in Canada

[swimmer_spe]

Originally Posted by SignalHillHiker

If there's a stop sign, we have to stop - but if you're just turning left when the traffic to your right can continue without stopping, you don't have to either. I suspect this isn't what you're talking about and normal everywhere? To be honest, I'm struggling to think of an intersection I know well that isn't controlled by lights

Nova Scotia confused me when I first drove in it. Why are there yield signs where you are supposed to merge?

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by swimmer_spe

Nova Scotia confused me when I first drove in it. Why are there yield signs where you are supposed to merge?

I find this is variable from jurisdiction to jurisdiction.

In Quebec, yield signs are the standard on all autoroute (freeway) on-ramps.

https://www.google.ca/maps/@45.4859543,-...lM9zLSrE3O61Op7XXpl7A!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

I know that in Ontario the rule is a "merge" (i.e. never stop) as opposed to a "yield" (stop if you have to).

When I was a kid, Ontario freeways had yellow trapezoid signs with the word "MERGE" on its freeway on-ramps.

[Djeffery]

Originally Posted by Acajack

I find this is variable from jurisdiction to jurisdiction.

In Quebec, yield signs are the standard on all autoroute (freeway) on-ramps.

https://www.google.ca/maps/@45.4859543,-...lM9zLSrE3O61Op7XXpl7A!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

I know that in Ontario the rule is a "merge" (i.e. never stop) as opposed to a "yield" (stop if you have to).

When I was a kid, Ontario freeways had yellow trapezoid signs with the word "MERGE" on its freeway on-ramps.

Yield would also indicate the through lane has right of way over the on ramp, whereas legally, both lanes are responsible to make the merge happen.

[milomilo]

That Quebec yield convention is pretty weird, as the onramp clearly is well built so must operate as a merge. We have some yields on onramps here, which gives a useful indication that it's going to be mega sketch and you better gun it and commit, diamond hands.

[JHikka]

Slowing down on an onramp to join fast-moving cars just seems like such a poor idea.

[Dengler Avenue]

Originally Posted by JHikka

Slowing down on an onramp to join fast-moving cars just seems like such a poor idea.

Sadly sometimes you do have mean drivers like those...

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https://www.google.com/maps/@47.5705701,...bbyIarNbJT6tMZZnRjGcg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656
On another note, I think I have found out how deep that rock cut is.
https://www.transports.gouv.qc.ca/fr/pro...ironnemental/R_Final_R175_km_135-140.pdf

Ce secteur est caractérisé par la complexité de la coupe de roc, la plus imposante qui sera réalisée dans toute la réserve faunique des Laurentides. Six (6) plateaux de dix (10) mètres de hauteur seront nécessaires à la réalisation de la voie sud.

If I understand that correctly, it's a 60-m rock cut, in the granites, some of the hardest rocks on Earth.
@swimmer_spe may have an idea what I'm getting at.

[swimmer_spe]

Originally Posted by Dengler Avenue

Sadly sometimes you do have mean drivers like those...

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https://www.google.com/maps/@47.5705701,...bbyIarNbJT6tMZZnRjGcg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656
On another note, I think I have found out how deep that rock cut is.
https://www.transports.gouv.qc.ca/fr/pro...ironnemental/R_Final_R175_km_135-140.pdf

If I understand that correctly, it's a 60-m rock cut, in the granites, some of the hardest rocks on Earth.
@swimmer_spe may have an idea what I'm getting at.

They were smart and did it as levels. In ON, we tend to just blast down to the roadbed.

[Dengler Avenue]

Originally Posted by swimmer_spe

They were smart and did it as levels. In ON, we tend to just blast down to the roadbed.

Yea I've been wondering if the level thing is a requirement for slope stabilization. I guess not?

[swimmer_spe]

Originally Posted by Dengler Avenue

Yea I've been wondering if the level thing is a requirement for slope stabilization. I guess not?

If that is the case, why isn't it done elsewhere.

[Dengler Avenue]

Originally Posted by swimmer_spe

If that is the case, why isn't it done elsewhere.

That's a good question lol.
I was going to limit the discussion to Canadian Shield, but even in the Appalachian Mountains, MTQ did the same thing too:
https://www.google.com/maps/@47.5185529,...%26thumbfov%3D100!7i16384!8i8192!5m1!1e4
That might easily be a 40-m cut right there.
That said, I guess it has less to do with the type of rock but more to do with MTQ.
In B.C., the sedimentary rocks are so unstable that something like that just won't cut it, I suppose.
In Ontario, we've just never had that deep of a cut on a divided highway, yet.

[swimmer_spe]

Originally Posted by Dengler Avenue

That's a good question lol.
I was going to limit the discussion to Canadian Shield, but even in the Appalachian Mountains, MTQ did the same thing too:
https://www.google.com/maps/@47.5185529,...%26thumbfov%3D100!7i16384!8i8192!5m1!1e4
That might easily be a 40-m cut right there.
That said, I guess it has less to do with the type of rock but more to do with MTQ.
In B.C., the sedimentary rocks are so unstable that something like that just won't cut it, I suppose.
In Ontario, we've just never had that deep of a cut on a divided highway, yet.

Highway 69 near Sudbury is near that height.

[Dengler Avenue]

Originally Posted by swimmer_spe

Highway 69 near Sudbury is near that height.

I highly doubt it. The cuts there probably top out at 20 m now that I think about it.
I’ve learned that rock blasting is an issue of economy of scale*, but I feel that the calculation will be a bit different beyond a certain depth. In turn, this will determine whether the freeway should be divided with a wide median or just median barriers, which in turn has implications for drainage and what not. And 20 m (or 70 ft) seems to be that threshold.
I’m just saying all that as an observer though.
* What it means is that, if you have to send a crew to blast rocks at all, you may as well go (reasonably) big on the amount of rock to be blasted.

[Dengler Avenue]

(Delete)

[Dwils01]

This rock cut I always remembered from my trips north as a kid. It's just south of Montreal River Harbour and Lake Superior Provincial Park on Hwy 17.
https://www.google.com/maps/@47.1822101,...KlQ_Xnr_NxOBKEW0rTs_w!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

[ssiguy]

Yield signs on a freeway ramp?................what a shockingly stupid thing to do.

You are suppose to be going full freeway speeds by the time you merge onto the highway. By asking people to yield you will have people merging at much slower speeds requiring vehicles already on the freeway to slow down or quickly get into the faster lane both of which are accidents waiting to happen.

[SignalHillHiker]

Most of ours just have a No U-Turns sign.

Some, though, also have a Merge sign:



The Yield thing, though, doesn't sound unusual to me. I haven't been able to find any examples of it but I sense I've seen it before on secondary highways.

[swimmer_spe]

Originally Posted by SignalHillHiker

Most of ours just have a No U-Turns sign.

Some, though, also have a Merge sign:



The Yield thing, though, doesn't sound unusual to me. I haven't been able to find any examples of it but I sense I've seen it before on secondary highways.

https://www.google.ca/maps/@44.7437236,-...itch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i13312!8i6656

This is a prime example. Oh, how I loath that interchange.

[SignalHillHiker]

Hmm... I don't think we do that here, not on a significant highway.

The most annoying thing about driving in Newfoundland is that in rural areas (more than 45ish minutes outside either Corner Brook or St. John's), the TCH is mostly a three-lane highway with the passing lane given to whichever direction is heading uphill. BUT... it's the faster left lane that has to yield whenever the passing lane ends:



Inconsequential most of the time but when it's busy, and you're pressing the brakes in the fast lane to merge back in with people you were slowly but surely passing... boo. Naturally, it fosters bad driving habits.

Much like how the media here is always wondering why St. John's has such a high rate of drunk driving. It shouldn't be a big fucking mystery when your public transit is a social service for the poor and shuts down EARLIER on holidays like St. Patrick's Day and New Year's Eve (after 6 p.m., you're on your own). You can call a cab, of course - some of them will still take calls, but it'll be a couple hours waiting with the crowds eating street food and trying to sober up enough to drive home.

[thewave46]

Originally Posted by SignalHillHiker

Inconsequential most of the time but when it's busy, and you're pressing the brakes in the fast lane to merge back in with people you were slowly but surely passing... boo. Naturally, it fosters bad driving habits.

I actually disagree. I prefer that the overtaking traffic has the responsibility to smoothly merge back into the regular flow.

I can't count the number of times in Ontario I've seen a vehicle wait until the last 500m of passing lane to actually decide to pass. Then the regular flow is effectively blocked from continuing on at their own speed as the passing lane comes to an end.

Whereas by forcing the overtaking lane to merge back into regular flow, it encourages someone to shit or get off the pot, passing-wise.

The regular flow of traffic should not be meant to eat shoulder if someone is hogging the passing lane (which effectively becomes the mainline flow) until it ends.

It also discourages people from camping in the passing lane because they know they won't have to merge at the end of it.

[milomilo]

Originally Posted by thewave46

I actually disagree. I prefer that the overtaking traffic has the responsibility to smoothly merge back into the regular flow.

I can't count the number of times in Ontario I've seen a vehicle wait until the last 500m of passing lane to actually decide to pass. Then the regular flow is effectively blocked from continuing on at their own speed as the passing lane comes to an end.

Whereas by forcing the overtaking lane to merge back into regular flow, it encourages someone to shit or get off the pot, passing-wise.

The regular flow of traffic should not be meant to eat shoulder if someone is hogging the passing lane (which effectively becomes the mainline flow) until it ends.

It also discourages people from camping in the passing lane because they know they won't have to merge at the end of it.

Totally agree - overtaking lanes are set up wrong for the most part in Canada. The right lane should be the default, only enter the left lane if you have the intention of making it past someone. The person in the right lane might be going slow out of necessity, it shouldn't be on them to slow down further to accommodate the guy who can go faster.