Highways in Canada - Page 264

someone123 · #**5261** Posted **Jun 30, 2016, 11:56 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Acajack

You won't see as many in the Halifax area as you will in Moncton for example, because Halifax isn't on the main cross-Canada route.

Except for Quebec, you don't see that many (at least, not as much as one might think) plates from across Canada in southern Ontario either as it's not on the main east-west routes either.

You mean except for Toronto? It's the busiest place in the country, and it has highway connections to the US.

The Moncton example may be true but there isn't exactly an enormous stream of through-traffic to Cape Breton and Newfoundland that bypasses Halifax. Moncton's near the end of the line. And Halifax itself gets a lot more visitors than other destinations in the region, including some ferry traffic direct from the US and some direct from NF and PEI. Halifax traffic is a lot busier too. You're probably likely to see more exotic plates wandering around downtown Halifax on a given summer day than you will driving along the TCH in the Maritimes, although it's possible the density of non-local vehicles would be lower.

SignalHillHiker · #**5262** Posted **Jul 1, 2016, 2:00 AM**

My route over the past two days... and this is only one way (the way back doesn't include Trout River, but it's still huge):

A few pictures, all from the Viking Trail up the Great Northern Peninsula, which connects two of our UNESCO World Heritage sites (Gros Mourne National Park and the L'Anse aux Meadowes Viking settlement).

Most of it is 90 km/hr, but there are some long portions that are 80 km/hr and some short ones that are 60 km/hr through communities. I was being passed by everyone at 110 km/hr.

An aside... that chalet in the middle of the hill... I thought, ooh, which inn is that. Got closer... private addiction recovery clinic.

We've got money now, b'ys.

MonctonRad · #**5263** Posted **Jul 1, 2016, 2:16 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by someone123

The Moncton example may be true but there isn't exactly an enormous stream of through-traffic to Cape Breton and Newfoundland that bypasses Halifax. Moncton's near the end of the line. And Halifax itself gets a lot more visitors than other destinations in the region, including some ferry traffic direct from the US and some direct from NF and PEI. Halifax traffic is a lot busier too. You're probably likely to see more exotic plates wandering around downtown Halifax on a given summer day than you will driving along the TCH in the Maritimes, although it's possible the density of non-local vehicles would be lower.

Out of province plates are easily as common in Moncton as in Halifax, if not more so.

Moncton is the final common denominator for traffic heading east. It doesn't matter if your destination is Halifax, PEI, Cape Breton or Newfoundland, you have to drive past Moncton on the TCH. Moncton is also a very popular base for tourists in the region. Someone123 probably won't believe this, but Moncton actually has the highest hotel occupancy rate on the east coast. Moncton is handy to the attractions on the Acadian shore, to the Hopewell Rocks, Fundy Park and to PEI. There are also several very popular tourist attractions in Moncton so that it makes it an easy choice for a family to stay here several days and see the sights in the area before moving on.

As far as US plates are concerned, the New England states are all common except for RI and VT. Also lots of plates from NY, NJ, PA, MD, VA and surprisingly DC. Things peter off from further afield, but I agree that FL and GA are more common than you would expect. CA and OR are not infrequently seen, but WA is very rare.

someone123 · #**5264** Posted **Jul 1, 2016, 8:08 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

It doesn't matter if your destination is Halifax, PEI, Cape Breton or Newfoundland, you have to drive past Moncton on the TCH. Moncton is also a very popular base for tourists in the region. Someone123 probably won't believe this, but Moncton actually has the highest hotel occupancy rate on the east coast.

I can believe that the occupancy rate there is higher but that isn't relevant. If all of Moncton's hotel rooms were booked every night it would have an unbeatable occupancy rate of 100% but would still have fewer rooms and would still be a smaller destination than, say, Las Vegas. In Halifax there are about 1,300,000 hotel room nights sold per year, while Moncton is at about 550,000 (all of NB is in the 1,600,000 range). Those statistics are more revealing.

Passing through Moncton on the TCH implies spending 10 or 15 minutes there.

I don't want to get all chamber-of-commercey but the out-of-province plate thing is kind of dubious. Probably not provable and maybe wrong. You see the same kind of plates at lots of tourist hot spots around the region, and a large share of visitors wind up in the Halifax area.

MonctonRad · #**5265** Posted **Jul 1, 2016, 12:29 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by someone123

In Halifax there are about 1,300,000 hotel room nights sold per year, while Moncton is at about 550,000 (all of NB is in the 1,600,000 range). Those statistics are more revealing.

I don't disbelieve your stats, but I would argue that in terms of pure tourist numbers, the difference between Moncton and Halifax isn't quite so large as that.

Of those 1,300,000 room nights in Halifax, I would argue that a large portion of those are business travellers or conventioneers rather than family tourists. Business travel to Moncton would be a lot less than it is to Halifax.

Halifax is 2.8x larger than Moncton, but sells only 2.3x as many hotel room overall.

Finally, there are plans to build four new hotels in Moncton (Wingate Hotel in Dieppe (U/C), a second Holiday Inn & Suites at Mapleton and the TCH, Hilton Garden Inn downtown at Vaughan Harvey & Main and a new independent hotel behind city hall to be called "The Wesley". A fifth hotel is rumoured for the Champlain Place area.

swimmer_spe · #**5266** Posted **Jul 1, 2016, 4:15 PM**

In Halifax, you will see all provincial plates. However, that is more due to the military moves and less due to the visitors. It isn't unusual to see BC plates there. The same can be said for Victoria.

vid · #**5267** Posted **Jul 1, 2016, 9:01 PM**

In Thunder Bay, you see Alberta plates more often than Manitoba plates (mainly because so many have moved back), and you see Iowa plates more often than Minnesota plates (which is a weird new trend, and I have no theory on why it is). Manitoba plates are the third most common, followed by a rough tie for BC, Saskatchewan, Quebec and Newfoundland. Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Yukon are pretty rare, while PEI, NWT and Nunavut are pretty much non-existent.

For the US, excluding the Arizona plates on U-Haul vehicles, Iowa is the most common lately, then Minnesota, Wisconsin, and the occasional plate from Michigan or Illinois. I've also seen plates from Georgia and Florida (both are the most common of the uncommon plates), New York, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Ohio (used to be a couple living on my street with Ohio plates) and Texas. I've also seen Washington DC plates a few times. I also saw a Mexican plate once but can't recall the state. For EU plates, there is some German truck that I've seen it several times over the years, I don't know if they're from around here or if they drive across the country every summer. It's some kind of Mercedes SUV thing that's around 10 feet tall.

urbancanadian · #**5268** Posted **Jul 1, 2016, 9:49 PM**

A couple years ago I started making a list of the license plates I saw here in Vancouver. So far I've seen:

Canada - All 13, save for Nunavut. (I've seen it before, but not since I started recording the plates.)
USA - All 50, save for Maine, Arkansas, West Virginia, and Delaware. (Also missing DC.)
Mexico - Baja California, Baja California Sur, Chihuahua, Tamaulipas, Distrito Federal.

It's getting rare to see new ones, so it's less fun now haha.

PS - Happy Canada Day!

JHikka · #**5269** Posted **Jul 2, 2016, 1:32 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by urbancanadian

USA - All 50, save for Maine, Arkansas, West Virginia, and Delaware. (Also missing DC.)

DC plates are gorgeous, you're missing out. Maine's current plate is alright but their old lobster plate was 10/10

For those of you out West you're seriously missing out on New Hampshire plates, as well. They were taken to the Supreme Court in 1977 for fines relating to covering them up.

Quote:

Originally Posted by 15Q

New Hampshire 1971 passenger issues. This was the first general issue to carry the controversial "Live Free or Die" slogan (it was actually introduced on 1970 vanity issues). This slogan proved controversial, with the United States Supreme Court hearing a case in 1977 (Wooley v. Maynard) brought by a family of Jehovah's Witnesses, one of whom had actually served jail time for refusing to pay fines related to covering up the slogan on the family vehicle's plates. The Court ruled that the state had the right to use the slogan, but that it could not prosecute motorists who chose to cover it up. Plates starting with K were issued in Rockingham county, and all-numeric plates were also issued.

ErickMontreal · #**5270** Posted **Jul 2, 2016, 2:41 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by SignalHillHiker

Yep, this is definitely my kind of place, some of those photos are reminding me Gaspesie, PQ.

mcpish · #**5271** Posted **Jul 2, 2016, 4:10 AM**

My Trip along the TCH in Western Manitoba into Brandon. I recorded this just after 10 PM early last month:

• Video Link

Acajack · #**5272** Posted **Jul 2, 2016, 11:42 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

Out of province plates are easily as common in Moncton as in Halifax, if not more so.

Moncton is the final common denominator for traffic heading east. It doesn't matter if your destination is Halifax, PEI, Cape Breton or Newfoundland, you have to drive past Moncton on the TCH. Moncton is also a very popular base for tourists in the region. Someone123 probably won't believe this, but Moncton actually has the highest hotel occupancy rate on the east coast. Moncton is handy to the attractions on the Acadian shore, to the Hopewell Rocks, Fundy Park and to PEI. There are also several very popular tourist attractions in Moncton so that it makes it an easy choice for a family to stay here several days and see the sights in the area before moving on.

As far as US plates are concerned, the New England states are all common except for RI and VT. Also lots of plates from NY, NJ, PA, MD, VA and surprisingly DC. Things peter off from further afield, but I agree that FL and GA are more common than you would expect. CA and OR are not infrequently seen, but WA is very rare.

I agree with you for Moncton vs. Halifax for cross-Canada plates. Moncton has more. But I find Halifax and NS in general have more American plates. Even though NB is geographically linked by land to the US and NS is not.

Acajack · #**5273** Posted **Jul 2, 2016, 11:50 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by someone123

You mean except for Toronto? It's the busiest place in the country, and it has highway connections to the US.

.

It's very predominantly Ontario plates there and it's surprising how few you see from the other provinces. The most common you see is Quebec and of course some from NY and other states. Plates from other provinces are not that common as it's not on the cross-country driving route. Obviously you see some as lots of people move there from other provinces, but a lot of the moves to TO I suspect are young people who are car-less. That might be part of the explanation.

There are lots of Quebec plates on the 401 east of Toronto. That dries up west of the city, and you see more American plates there. (MI and NY plates.) There are lots of American plates on the QEW. Again, not too many from other provinces except for some Quebec due to people going to Niagara.

ghYHZ · #**5274** Posted **Jul 2, 2016, 2:39 PM**

The push is on to complete Phase II of the TCH104 bypass at Antigonish, Nova Scotia. The final 8km section of the 15.5km highway will open this fall (2016)

The existing alignment at Lower South River has been severed and traffic now diverted onto the new overpass structure that will eventually become part of Trunk 4. The old 104 alignment will be excavated so the new lanes can be constructed across.

http://www.thecasket.ca/archives/43074

Phase I west of Beech Hill Rd (Exit 33) has been open since 2012.

Loco101 · #**5275** Posted **Jul 2, 2016, 6:09 PM**

In Timmins we don't see many out of province plates. The most common by far are from Quebec as we get people visiting for the day or weekend and commercial vehicles and transports in mining and forestry. You will see them every day but you can't count on seeing plates from anywhere else.

Timmins is on Hwy 101 and not 11 (Trans-Canada) so we have very few people driving through. After Quebec, Alberta is in second place WAY behind.

ghYHZ · #**5276** Posted **Jul 2, 2016, 6:22 PM**

NS16 along the shore of Chedabucto Bay will take you as far east as you can drive in mainland Nova Scotia....ending at the village of Canso. (you can drive further east in NS....but that’s Cape Breton Island!)

https://goo.gl/maps/9DMVLND4jGH2

The end of pavement on Union St.....

And here’s ‘Canso ‘Tickle’

ghYHZ · #**5277** Posted **Jul 2, 2016, 6:23 PM**

Canso was also another ‘end’ at one time. A Transatlantic Undersea Cable came ashore here in the 1800s at Hazel Hill and messages were relayed by telegraph to the rest of North America. The Cable Station building still stands but is probably now beyond repair for any possible restoration.

http://atlantic-cable.com/CableCos/CCC-Canso/wstory.htm

someone123 · #**5278** Posted **Jul 2, 2016, 7:42 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Acajack

It's very predominantly Ontario plates there and it's surprising how few you see from the other provinces. The most common you see is Quebec and of course some from NY and other states. Plates from other provinces are not that common as it's not on the cross-country driving route. Obviously you see some as lots of people move there from other provinces, but a lot of the moves to TO I suspect are young people who are car-less. That might be part of the explanation.

I would agree with this but I think you're making an argument about the density of out of province plates rather than the number of visitors. Toronto has millions of cars with Ontario plates and the 401 is packed with local traffic. But it might still have more out of province traffic than much less busy parts of the TCH.

Imagine that highway A gets 200 cars an hour and 100 of those are out of province. Highway B gets 2,000 cars an hour and 200 are out of province. B is the more popular route for out of province cars but on A they are more noticeable because the density is higher (if you look at a random car you have a 50% chance of getting out of province on A but only 10% on B; if you count all the cars though you'll get more and maybe a greater variety on B).

Quote:

But I find Halifax and NS in general have more American plates. Even though NB is geographically linked by land to the US and NS is not.

A lot of it will come down to how much time people spend in different places. Even if they must all pass through some point that may not be the best spot to find them at any given time. And it's actually not quite the case with NS that everybody comes through on the TCH via NB. You can get to NS by ferry from Maine, NB (Saint John-Digby ferry), PEI, and NF, and there are small rural roads that tourists sometimes like to take. The Yarmouth-Portland ferry has struggled in recent years but a few years ago it was the route of choice for a significant number of American visitors.

swimmer_spe · #**5279** Posted **Jul 2, 2016, 9:15 PM**

[QUOTE=ghYHZ;7492323]Canso was also another ‘end’ at one time. A Transatlantic Undersea Cable came ashore here in the 1800s at Hazel Hill and messages were relayed by telegraph to the rest of North America. The Cable Station building still stands but is probably now beyond repair for any possible restoration.

http://atlantic-cable.com/CableCos/CCC-Canso/wstory.htm

That looks to be in decent structural shape. It could be restored and turned into a museum.

I wonder if the local community would want to take on it, or even the province.

ghYHZ · #**5280** Posted **Jul 2, 2016, 10:02 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by swimmer_spe

hat looks to be in decent structural shape. It could be restored and turned into a museum.

I wonder if the local community would want to take on it, or even the province.

Here’s a CTV News item from 2014. It was suppose to have been demolished last year but it’s still standing so perhaps......

http://atlantic.ctvnews.ca/historic-signal-station-to-be-demolished-1.1893656