Driving Habits Across Canada

[Acajack]

One thing I have noticed in 20+ years of driving is the relative merging of driving habits between Quebecers and Ontarians. There used to be a major difference between the two but now the differences have become quite subtle.

[begratto]

Originally Posted by Acajack

One thing I have noticed in 20+ years of driving is the relative merging of driving habits between Quebecers and Ontarians. There used to be a major difference between the two but now the differences have become quite subtle.

Funny you should say that, I was just going to say that driving in Toronto feels just the same as driving in Montreal.

The major difference I see between Quebec and Ontario is the number of left-lane hoggers seems higher in Ontario, and drivers there seem much more tolerant of this practice.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by begratto

Funny you should say that, I was just going to say that driving in Toronto feels just the same as driving in Montreal.

The major difference I see between Quebec and Ontario is the number of left-lane hoggers seems higher in Ontario, and drivers there seem much more tolerant of this practice.

Yeah, that's one of the differences that remains.

I frequently drive the 174-417 Queensway from east of Ottawa and then the A-50 in Gatineau in the same stretch, and there is definitely a difference in the two in tolerance for left-lane slow drivers.

People definitely tailgate and flash their lights more on the A-50, and slalom more in between lanes as well.

[begratto]

Originally Posted by VANRIDERFAN

That nobody knows how to zipper merge is a big issue everywhere.

I'd say it's a big city vs smaller city thing. In Montreal and Toronto, drivers will zipper merge at full speed and they do it perfectly. Ottawa drivers do it ok too - probably because they're familiar with big city driving, being close to Toronto and Montreal.

Calgary and Quebec City drivers, though... geez! I've never seen so many drivers slow down or completely stop, before entering the highway lanes at 20 kmph. Crazy! It not only causes slow downs on the highway itself, but it's also dangerous for people who are trying to enter the highway and do not expect someone to completely stop in front of them. And they're probably the same people that find Montreal and Toronto drivers insane...

[1overcosc]

My experience is that Ottawans suck at zipper merging relative to Montrealers or Torontians.. but that's relative I guess. Kingstonians absolutely completely fail at it.

[240glt]

Edmonton drivers love to complain about the traffic, Even though the traffic isn't really very bad at all.

In the areas we do have something even remotely resembling gridlock at rush hour, it's more the fault of the transportation department and their inability to time signals properly than heavy traffic loads.

But Edmonton drivers are not without fault.. I've noticed that they are getting less couteous. Edmonton drivers have always had difficulty with turn signals and merging.

We also have a lot of newcomers to the city, and the driving skills of many of them fall far short of spectacular

[Deepstar]

Originally Posted by 240glt

We also have a lot of newcomers to the city, and the driving skills of many of them fall far short of spectacular

Here too. I have never seen someone so inept at manoeuvring a vehicle as I have in this video. There's no way this person should have a license.

BTW, after this video went viral, she ended getting a ticket and rightfully so.


• Video Link

[240glt]

^ yeah saw that last week. Scary part is, there are many just as bad.

My neighbour across the street from my old house was almost that bad. She is unable to parallel park a BMW 325i in a space big enough for three cars. I've watched in amazement as she's backed into other parked cars (many times), the elm tree on the boulevard (many times) , and once, a dumpster that the other neighbour had placed in front of his house while he had his roof redone.

[hipster duck]

One thing I noticed about Montreal is that a red light is simultaneously timed with a green light for traffic on the intersecting cross street. In other words, you can't run a red light in Montreal the way you can in other cities, or use the 2 seconds of red in both directions to complete a left turn.

Is this a Quebec thing? I haven't driven in Quebec outside of Montreal - at least not in areas where there are lots of traffic lights (i.e. on surface roads in built up urban areas).

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by hipster duck

One thing I noticed about Montreal is that a red light is simultaneously timed with a green light for traffic on the intersecting cross street. In other words, you can't run a red light in Montreal the way you can in other cities, or use the 2 seconds of red in both directions to complete a left turn.

Is this a Quebec thing? I haven't driven in Quebec outside of Montreal - at least not in areas where there are lots of traffic lights (i.e. on surface roads in built up urban areas).

From what I can gather, the lack of a delay going from red to green is a Quebec-wide thing.

[hipster duck]

A BC quirk is the flashing green pedestrian crossing with the "obligatory" stop sign for motorists approaching the intersection from the opposing cross street (almost always a minor street).

In general, I like this invention because it offers pedestrians an opportunity to cross an arterial road at basically every block, but it gives drivers on the arterial relatively free-flowing traffic without having to stop for regularly scheduled red lights.

There are two problems, though: the first is that when the pedestrian signal is activated, most drivers just blow through the stop sign as if it's a green for them, too. The second is that there are some intersections that really should be upgraded to a traffic light in all directions because they have a high volume of car traffic. Blenheim at Broadway and 4th at Vine, I'm looking at you.

[le calmar]

Originally Posted by Acajack

From what I can gather, the lack of a delay going from red to green is a Quebec-wide thing.

Maybe lio45 can confirm it, but if I remember well there is a 2 sec delay between red and green lights in Sherbrooke.

[manny_santos]

Originally Posted by Beedok

Ottawa drivers sometimes don't seem to realise that intersections aren't normal road. Especially downtown. So many times where there's a bunch of cars sitting in the middle of one with a red light so the street with a green light can't move.

This is a major problem in downtown Kingston, particularly at Princess and Ontario, and Ontario and Queen.

Originally Posted by 1overcosc

Odd.. I find the exact opposite. Pedestrians here rule the roost. Make it clear that you want to jaywalk mid-block (put one foot out) and everybody stops to let you through. At some intersections pedestrians cross against the light all the time, and nobody seems to care..

I've had a lot of close calls as a pedestrian in and near downtown Kingston, all when crossing legally at a green light. In one case I ended up calling the police after almost getting hit by an SUV at Johnson and Clarence Streets. The absolute worst intersection for pedestrians is Division and Queen, where drivers act like it's their God-given right to turn regardless of any pedestrians crossing (legally). I've recently been in contact with the new mayor, Bryan Paterson about that intersection and he agrees there's a problem there.

I agree on the zipper merge issue, Kingston drivers are horrible at it. London wasn't much better.

Originally Posted by hipster duck

One thing I noticed about Montreal is that a red light is simultaneously timed with a green light for traffic on the intersecting cross street. In other words, you can't run a red light in Montreal the way you can in other cities, or use the 2 seconds of red in both directions to complete a left turn.

Is this a Quebec thing? I haven't driven in Quebec outside of Montreal - at least not in areas where there are lots of traffic lights (i.e. on surface roads in built up urban areas).

The only other place I've ever seen a lack of delay is in Mexico.

[sonysnob]

Originally Posted by hipster duck

A BC quirk is the flashing green pedestrian crossing with the "obligatory" stop sign for motorists approaching the intersection from the opposing cross street (almost always a minor street).

In general, I like this invention because it offers pedestrians an opportunity to cross an arterial road at basically every block, but it gives drivers on the arterial relatively free-flowing traffic without having to stop for regularly scheduled red lights.

There are two problems, though: the first is that when the pedestrian signal is activated, most drivers just blow through the stop sign as if it's a green for them, too. The second is that there are some intersections that really should be upgraded to a traffic light in all directions because they have a high volume of car traffic. Blenheim at Broadway and 4th at Vine, I'm looking at you.

Except for the fact that these signals look exactly like advanced green signals in Ontario, they are awesome

[yaletown_fella]

From a pedestrians point of view, drivers in scarborough are the most aggressive in Canada. Especially on left turns. I get the sense theres a hit and run waiting to happen everyday.

Toronto proper and North York drivers are, in my experience, much better. I give downtown and midtown drivers credit for having to put up with stupid pedestrians and bikers. The situation is the reverse in Scarborough.

[lio45]

Originally Posted by le calmar

Maybe lio45 can confirm it, but if I remember well there is a 2 sec delay between red and green lights in Sherbrooke.

No, everywhere in Quebec to my knowledge (and obviously in Sherbrooke too) the red/green switch takes place at the same time.

(When the green turns to yellow, of course the perpendicular axis is still red while it's yellow.)

One "exception" is that if you have a green priority arrow to turn, those generally don't have yellow versions, so when that arrow vanishes, the next vehicles to have an interfering right of way through the place where the vehicles that had that arrow were passing don't immediately get their green.

(The delay matches the duration of an orange light, which is technically what it is. If you're about to turn and your green arrow vanishes, you can't help but complete your turn.)

[theman23]

Originally Posted by le calmar

People are timid drivers everywhere in the country but in Toronto? If that's what you are saying then you probably ignore many other posts in this thread.

Just everywhere else I've driven.

[middeljohn]

Combination of speed cameras and a generally laid back attitude are the two combining forces to Edmontonians typically driving 10 under the speed limit. On the plus side, it's virtually impossible to get pulled over by a cop for speeding, so as long as you know the speed traps on your route it's quite easy to get away with.

Edmontonians are also extremely guilty of the slow merges. The short acceleration ramps don't help much either (which is why I'm against the limit on Whitemud being increased). My theory is that 40+ year-olds freewaya are a relatively new thing that they weren't trained to drive on, so they treat it like typical city intersections, ie accelerate once you get on it.

[feepa]

Slow merging is my biggest pet peeve here. I don't understand people's logic at trying to merge doing 70 where the traffic they are merging with is at 100+

Merging in general sucks here. People on the main road won't give room, or in fact, purposely take up the room you were going to merge into.

[KPELLY]

I've lived in 3 cities (Vancouver, Calgary, and Winnipeg) for extended periods of time, and recently did a 13,000 km road trip throughout the NE US and Eastern Canada.

Vancouver Drivers:
Know how to merge (don’t believe me? Watch how 5 lanes goes to 1 for getting on the lions gate).
Large variation in vehicle speeds (ie. many painfully slow but also many fast), many places the speed will be 20-30 over the limit if the traffic allows for it.
Many have no clue how to drive in snow
Will change lanes to avoid having to stop behind someone at an intersection.
Slow drivers are always blocking people in the left lane on highways causing a lot of passing on the right.

Calgary Drivers:
Absolutely the worst at merging. Don't know the difference between a merge with a dedicated lane and one without, and often come to a complete stop when they have their own lane (see from westbound Glenmore merging onto Macleod Trail northbound).
People learn where the speedcams (photo radar cams) are so they drive fast and then slow down for the lights with the cams.
Can't parallel park (mostly because you only have to downtown or residential streets where you have a lot of room)
People will wait behind people at lights and will rarely change lanes to go around people, I find myself passing 4-5 cars at some intersections because nobody will change lanes.
People take their time off of the line, especially at advance greens, although typically the left turn lights are much longer than other places I’ve been.
You can pretty much get away with any asshole driving maneuver if you give a “Calgary wave” afterwards.

Winnipeg drivers:
They too have some lights without dwell time. Broadway has the worst timed lights I have ever come across. I kid you not, sometimes the lights would be (red, green, red, green) and then when the first light turned green it would be (green, red, green, red), you would move one light at a time!
Generally very courteous, sometimes overly courteous. I remember there being huge long lines of cars that moved over for 2 lanes to go down to one for construction. It would be very obvious that you were required to move over. And you’d have jackasses going to the very front of the line, and people would willingly let them in at the very front!
People didn’t realize (or didn’t care) that the HOV/bus lanes would be for certain hours only. And if there was backed up traffic on the other two lanes they wouldn’t go in them. I would just fly by all of them on McPhillips St if the hours didn’t apply.

Couple words describing drivers in each of the major cities I visited.
Chicago: Fast
Washington: Don’t signal
New York: Lights are more of a guideline than a rule. (especially in Manhattan).
Boston: Horn happy
Montreal: Drivers seemed pretty good other than a couple guys than insisted on driving right on my bumper (at 130-140km/h in the fast lane) only to exit less than a km later.
Toronto: People drive fast (especially on the 401) but not excessive, Why are the speed limits so low?? Should be 110 at least, if the Coquihalla can have 120km/h I don’t see why the 401 cant have 120km/h in the more rural areas, 100 is excessively low.