Driving in Canada
Driving in Canada can be both a pleasure and a challenge. For people from smaller countries, it can be quite an adjustment to drive in a country that spans six time zones. Canadians won't think twice about driving for hours to a destination for a mere weekend away - or even just for day excursions. With long, open roads and often spectacular scenery, driving in Canada can be a liberating and magnificent feeling. At the same time, city driving can be anything but liberating and remaining patient is not easy for anyone, not just newly arrived immigrants and visitors. Knowing what to expect can go a long way to making the whole experience a lot easier.
Province to Province
Canada 's roads are fairly decent, although the ice and snow in the winter and heat and humidity in the summer can wreak havoc on the roads of some of the most populous cities which is why there are always ongoing road works. City roads are fairly wide since most cities were planned for automobiles, not like the more historic cities of Europe . Cities like Quebec City and parts of Halifax are exceptions to this. Most roads are well marked, although if you don't read French, you may have difficulty in Quebec where French-only signs exist.
City Driving
If you come from a big city like London, New York or Sydney, you may find cities like Toronto or Vancouver quite tame, but by Canadian standards traffic in big cities is chaotic and every year it seems to get worse. However, most cities are planned on a grid system, which makes them fairly easy to navigate. At the same time, downtown sections are usually made up of many one-way streets to help with traffic flow, which can see even the best navigators end up going in circles. Roundabouts are, for the most part, novel entities. Since most streets run north, south, east and west, junctions are controlled by traffic lights. Rush hour (from about 7am to 9am, and 4pm to 6pm) is to be dreaded, especially when there are road closures due to perpetual repairs. People can get into bad tempers, but there are relatively few cases of real `road rage' in Canada . Some cities, such as Toronto, are busy at all hours except the very early morning. Montreal is known for its daring and aggressive drivers.
Rural Driving
Some country driving, like that in the Prairies, is flat, straight and very boring, but in other parts roads can wind endlessly. Either way, it's important to pay attention and stay alert. Wildlife, poor visibility and other sleepy drivers can make rural roads treacherous. On gravel roads you need to be aware of dust and flying stones from other cars and trucks. One of the most important things is to try not to drive longer distances than you can manage in a short period of time, especially at night. You may be eager to get somewhere, but many drivers get into trouble when they ignore their increasing drowsiness.
Travelling on Highways and Freeways
The main routes in and out of the big cities are usually high-speed, multi-lane freeways (also called expressways or highways). In Britain such routes are called motorways and in mainland Europe they are known as autobahns, autoroutes and autostradas. A few of Canada 's expressways charge a toll, the incentive to use them being less traffic. Most major arteries are well lit.
Linking towns and cities across Canada are highways that stretch for miles and miles. The recently upgraded ones near cities have three to four lanes on either side, but once you get to more rural areas there is usually only one lane on either side, sometimes with the odd passing section when it expands to two lanes for a short distance.
Canada has about 24,500 km of highways. The Trans Canada Highway, which runs from St John's, Newfoundland to Victoria, British Columbia, is a whopping 7,306 km, the longest in the world. Along most main highways are service stations that include one or more restaurants, rest room facilities and a gas (petrol) station. But for driving in more out-of-the-way areas drivers are advised to bring extra gasoline, food, water, warm clothing in winter and a cellular phone. Music tapes or CDs could also be useful for when you are travelling in rural areas where radio station options are limited.
Deer Crossing
In some areas, alongside the usual road signs warning of sharp bends or rock avalanches, there are signs alerting drivers to beware of certain wildlife that roam nearby. It's not just to protect the animals; deer, elk and moose can be a real hazard for cars and their drivers. They often get mesmerised by car lights and stand frozen in the path of your car, or can bolt across the road out of nowhere. If you hit one of these large animals, especially a moose, you can be killed.
Rules of the Road
- In contrast to the other Commonwealth countries, Canadians drive on the right-hand side.
- Seatbelt-wearing is compulsory throughout the country.
- Each province enforces a point system whereby certain driving offences result in the loss of a specified amount of points from a base amount.
- Speeding is a big problem in Canada where impatient drivers take advantage of the wide, open roads. There have been numerous graphic advertising campaigns launched as an attempt to point out the tragic results of speeding. Nevertheless, it continues to happen and there are stiff fines for those who are caught. If you are used to the imperial system, it might take some time to get used to the metric system employed in Canada. Don't make the mistake of interpreting a sign that says `90' to mean 90 mph! The speed limit on highways is usually 100 km/h (60 mph) and in cities and towns it is usually 50 km/h (30 mph) or less.
- Unlike in some countries, where at unmarked crossways pedestrians run hurriedly to get out of a car's way, Canadians take their time crossing a road. It's not because they're trying to provoke you; it's because pedestrians have the right of way.
