Drivers in Ontario

[Greenday]

I've been in Ontario for eight days now. And I cannot stand driving on the highways here. The drivers her suck worse than anywhere I've ever been in the world. There's two types of drivers I've seen and that's it:

1. The "I'm picking a lane and a speed and fuck anyone who doesn't like one or the other" - Constantly, I have to pass people who are going slow as shit in the left lane. If you are planning on doing 100 kph or less in the left lane (speed limit is 100 kph), get the hell out of the left lane. You aren't passing anyone, you are just holding up traffic. Pass in the left lane. Move over when someone who isn't going slow as shit wants to continue at something faster than a snail's pace.

2. GTA Drivers - These are the crazy people who drive at what I reckon is at least 150 kph. Now, don't get me wrong, when I find an open stretch of highway where there aren't going to be cops, you'll find me going up to 152 kph (95mph). But I sure as hell am not doing it when there's a ton of traffic. These people just weave in and out of traffic regardless of whether there's even a foot of room for error. I'm surprised I haven't seen more accidents than I already have. And these people NEVER use the left lane. They always seem to use the two right-most lanes. Wtf?

[siead_lietrathua]

ya... sadly that's prety normal for drivers around here. you get used to watching out for the stupid.
but hey, welcome to the province!

[Salted Grump]

I guess you're in toronto, then? :P

[TheHuckster]

Is there any place in the world that has good drivers? I mean, places where there's enough traffic volume to have problems like the OP. I've found that pretty much every moderately congested highway has the lane cloggers and weavers.

If anyone has good examples, I'll have to consider moving there.

[tropicsgoddess]

My neck of the woods has good drivers (I'm in upstate NY btw) but it's a stark difference from South Florida. South Florida is chock full of bad drivers: the blue hairs that should've long surrendered their licenses, the self-absorbed douchebags, the fast and furious wannabees, the space cadets and the sloooooow pokes! Try driving in the rain....people there just completely forget what they learned in driver's ed and any common sense they have whenever they have to drive in the rain.

[Greenday]

I guess you're in toronto, then? :P

Guelph. We drove to Niagara Falls last night to watch the fireworks and everyone's insane driving, including my friends, prompted me to post this. My friend drives in the left lane at about 120 and when she comes up on someone going slower, neither she or the person in front of her will move over. I personally would just pass them on the right if it's clear they aren't changing lanes but she's too stubborn.

[wolfie]

The manouver of suddenly cutting across half a dozen lanes of traffic to get to the exit isn't called the "Ontario Slide" - it got its name for a reason. Some of the worst examples of people trying to commit "suicide by Peterbilt" that I've seen have been in the Garden State - so Ontario definitely doesn't have a monopoly on bad drivers.

[Greenday]

Living in New Jersey, I can assure you it's not that bad. Driving behavior there is quite predictable.

[fireheart17]

I get both of those in Adelaide. All. The. Time.

My driving instructor used to refer to the "slow" drivers as "grandma" drivers. While I know it's not right to make fun of the elderly, they seem to perpetuate the stereotype themselves: nearly every slow car I've passed has either had an elderly driver, a learner driver (this is more common in high-speed areas) or someone who is deliberately driving slow to be stupid. It drives me batty.

Now then again, I am on my P2's (probationary license conditions meaning that my maximum speed is 100km/h, even in a 110km/h zone, although I don't have to show P-Plates). I have to travel along a freeway to visit my boyfriend once a fortnight. So yes, I am restricted to 100km/h along the freeway once it hits 110km/h. After it merges and hits 110km/h, I will stay in the left lane and continue at 100km/h until I get to my exit. The ONLY times I move out of my little left lane are when I'm dodging a truck, passing an extremely slow driver or forced to move due to roadworks.

[the_std]

fireheart, correct me if I'm wrong, but you guys drive on the left side of the road, correct? Like in England? Then I'm not sure how driving lanes are for you there - here, the right lane on a highway is the "slow" lane and you should only be in the left lane if you're driving faster than the rest of traffic or if you're passing someone. Is it the same where you live?

[siead_lietrathua]

We drove to Niagara Falls last night to watch the fireworks....

too close for comfort O_O lol, j/k.
the QEW down this end is brutal. constant commuting between those nearer the falls to missisauga/hamilton/etc for shiftwork jobs. mix that with it being a retirement area as well, and it makes for some "special" people.

[HYHYBT]

I'm pretty sure Canadians drive on the right side of the road.

One thing that really bothers me that I pretty much only see when going through Atlanta. As with many cities, the lane you take on the interstate often depends more on where you're trying to go than on how fast you're going. What drives me crazy is this: if the cars in the lane I want to move to are going right at the same speed I am, with just enough space that I can safely move over, as soon as I turn on my signal the one behind hits the gas and closes up the gap so I can't go over.

[the_std]

I'm pretty sure Canadians drive on the right side of the road.

Yes we do. However, fireheart is from Australia and was comparing her driving to ours, and I just wanted to make sure I understood her completely.

[Crazedclerkthe2nd]

I'm pretty sure Canadians drive on the right side of the road.

One thing that really bothers me that I pretty much only see when going through Atlanta. As with many cities, the lane you take on the interstate often depends more on where you're trying to go than on how fast you're going. What drives me crazy is this: if the cars in the lane I want to move to are going right at the same speed I am, with just enough space that I can safely move over, as soon as I turn on my signal the one behind hits the gas and closes up the gap so I can't go over.

Yes we do, just like you 'Mericans.

And yes, as a former Ontarian, I can attest a lot of people there have driving issues.

Generally speaking the Highway 401 (essentially a Canadian interstate if you will) corridor from Kingston all the way to Windsor is pretty bad. There's a particularly nasty section between London and Windsor (starting about an hour or so west of Guelph called "Carnage alley".

From wikipedia:

Highway 401 between London, Ontario and Windsor, Ontario was known as "Carnage Alley" due to a number of design factors: gravel shoulders that contributed to median-crossing collisions when a driver lost control of a vehicle, long, straight sections that promoted fatigue (often resulting in the driver drifting onto the gravel shoulder), and the potential of weather causing sudden severe driving conditions including whiteouts from sudden heavy snowfall and fog. Significant upgrades, including replacement of gravel with paved shoulders, improved signage, installation of tall-wall median barriers, and the widening of the 401 from four to six lanes between Windsor and Tilbury have been undertaken by the Ontario Ministry of Transportation (MTO) since a fatal pileup on Sept. 3, 1999.

The 401, which connects Detroit, Toronto and Montreal, is the single biggest transport route in Canada (and one of the most traveled in North America I think).

As a result the 401 is almost always LOADED with trucks, which makes navigating it even more fun.

The GTA (Greater Toronto Area) and it's major highways (QEW, 410, 427, 403, Don Valley Expressway and of course the 401) is always a pain in the ass. Smart travelers know that when you are planning to drive through Toronto, you shoot for a time that will put you well outside of commuter rush hours.

Also the 401/400 interchange near Pearson International Airport is a well known trouble spot/gridlock magnet.

Having said that, the craziest drivers I've seen thus far were in Los Angeles, California. Those people drove fast and aggressive on a level I've never seen before.

[Andara Bledin]

Los Angeles drivers vary depending on what freeway you hit, and where.

The 10 in the city is a nightmare, and every interchange in and out are contaminated. I won't have anything to do with it unless there's absolutely no choice.

LA has 4 of the top 10 worst bottlenecks in the US, and 2 of them involve the 10, and three involve the 405 (which is my second least-favorite route through all of LA City and Orange County. The 101 also gets a couple of mentions, (the 5/10 includes the 101 in the mix, though it's not mentioned, as well as the 60). For maximum confusion, the 10 west turns in to the 101 north on the other side of the 5, and to stay on the 10 you have to go south on the 5 and then go west at the point that on the east side of the 5 is the 60, which just ends, but is the 10 on the west side. Here's a Google Map to show you what I mean.

I've driven that route twice in the last few weeks, and it there is no end to the suck, particularly since you are essentially required to do a multitude of lane changes just to stay on the freeway you want. I'm so glad I have almost no reason to drive in the city much.

^-.-^