Manitoba twins Trans-Canada Highway before Saskatchewan!

[rrskylar]

^ Guess the speed limit is set by some jerk in Toronto ( or Ottawa) who thinks Ontario ends in Barrie!

[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. :\

Drive through this region during a snow storm at night. Then you'll understand why.

[Corndogger]

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. :\

Drive through this region during a snow storm at night. Then you'll understand why.

Which is why SK and MB are twinning the highway. Any place with half a brain would know that twinned highways are much safer. The provincial governments and the feds should be embarrased that we don't have a twinned national highway. Same goes for not having a national highway system.

[vid]

No, Northern Ontario doesn't need a twinned highway because no one lives here. Toronto is more dangerous than Thunder Bay you know!!

[Nutterbug]

Originally Posted by vid

No, Northern Ontario doesn't need a twinned highway because no one lives here. Toronto is more dangerous than Thunder Bay you know!!

Not enough passthrough traffic between Western and Central Canada?

[vid]

Originally Posted by Nutterbug

Not enough passthrough traffic between Western and Central Canada?

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.

Highways here were going to be improved, but Harris cut that so he could build a deficit.

[rrskylar]

Originally Posted by vid

No, Northern Ontario doesn't need a twinned highway because no one lives here. Toronto is more dangerous than Thunder Bay you know!!

Ask the families of the dozens killed on the death stretch of the Trans-Canada between Kenora and Thunder Bay whether the highway should be twinned or not!

[harls]

Originally Posted by O-Town Hockey

I think it's great that Man and Sask are doing such a great job twinning the Trans-Canada, but where are all these people going?? Is there really enough traffic to justify the costs? I can just imagine all the cars zooming at 110km/hr piling up in Kenora when the good highway ends....

Like Sgt. Sipowicz said, it's more of a safety issue than volume. Even if a handful of lives are saved, it more than justifies the cost.

[vid]

Originally Posted by rrskylar

Ask the families of the dozens killed on the death stretch of the Trans-Canada between Kenora and Thunder Bay whether the highway should be twinned or not!

They don't count! More people get killed in the south therefore we don't matter.

Two people were actually killed on it yesterday morning. Two women died near Little Pic River when they lost control of their car. But the government holds firm that this kind of incident is not enough for them to upgrade our highway to highway status.

[Mister F]

Originally Posted by Nutterbug

Not enough passthrough traffic between Western and Central Canada?

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.

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. :\

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

[Nutterbug]

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.

Highways here were going to be improved, but Harris cut that so he could build a deficit.

Does this mean we can forget about my I-100 idea?

[Nutterbug]

Originally Posted by rrskylar

Ask the families of the dozens killed on the death stretch of the Trans-Canada between Kenora and Thunder Bay whether the highway should be twinned or not!

Slow down. Drive carefully. Don't drink and drive.

[Mister F]

Originally Posted by Nutterbug

Does this mean we can forget about my I-100 idea?

Wrong country.

[Greco Roman]

Originally Posted by Mister F

Is it really that hard to pass on the two lane portions of prairie highways?

With heavy truck and other traffic on these roads? You better believe it is! That is, unless you enjoy spending a half-hour behind 5 semi's, 6 RV, and 10 SUV's at a speed of 85 km/h.

[drew]

Originally Posted by Nutterbug

Slow down. Drive carefully. Don't drink and drive.

Doesn't matter what you do when semi's pass each other around blind corners doing 110+ kmph. You will become a hood ornament no matter what the driving conditions.

[Greco Roman]

Originally Posted by Mister F

I think Westerners are just spoiled!

Compared to who?

[Nutterbug]

Originally Posted by drew

Doesn't matter what you do when semi's pass each other around blind corners doing 110+ kmph. You will become a hood ornament no matter what the driving conditions.

Solid yellow lines mean do not pass, right?

[drew]

^ yes, but as long as the semi coming around the corner doesn't follow those rules, it doesn't matter much to you. Your dead.

The point I am making is that you can be the best, most safe, defensive driver on the planet, but on a 2-lane highway with blind corners and low visibility you are very much reliant on the judgment of the other drivers.

[Nutterbug]

Originally Posted by drew

^ yes, but as long as the semi coming around the corner doesn't follow those rules, it doesn't matter much to you. Your dead.

The point I am making is that you can be the best, most safe, defensive driver on the planet, but on a 2-lane highway with blind corners and low visibility you are very much reliant on the judgment of the other drivers.

How about an increased police presence to catch more speeders, reckless and drunk drivers?

[eemy]

Twinning Hwy 17 would be hugely expensive. The government is slowing twinning Hwy 69 and 11 to Sudbury and North Bay; however, the section from Sault Ste. Marie to Kenora would be extremely expensive - far more than in the Prairies or S. Ont.