Vancouver driving

[Hemi-Cuda]

is there a more frustrating city to drive in than Vancouver? i drove here with a buddy for The Black Keys concert tonight and it's my first time driving around here, and it is by far the worst city i've ever had to find my way around in. there is no sense to how downtown traffic flows that i can see. one way streets are seemingly assigned at random and not used nearly enough, it's virtually impossible to make a left turn when you need to, and traffic just never seems to let up. i had driven to Seattle before so i was figuring it would be about the same, but driving around there was a piece of cake compared to here. driving to our hotel on Burrard St by route of Hastings St was also one of the most depressing displays of humanity i've seen in Canada

i can appreciate the tourist value of Vancouver, there seems to be a lot to do and it's very friendly to foot traffic, but now i know i could never live here. so damn crowded compared to Calgary and i can only imagine the hell that is the work commute if you live anywhere outside of the downtown core

[Bob]

Just living in Surrey for 2 months made me a much more aggressive driver--you pretty much have to be to get anywhere quickly. I only went to "downtown" Vancouver once, and it was brutal.

[Jake]

I think downtown driving is pretty straight forward in Vancouver. The only thing I hate about it is that the Lions Gate bridge is only 3 lanes, and which ever side only has 1 lane open is always really backed up. I commute from Kits to West Van everyday, it takes 30 minutes and I go through downtown. Not a big deal.

[henriksedin33]

Yeah traffic in Calgary is nothing compared to Vancouver, especially downtown. I couldn't believe how light Calgary traffic was downtown anytime after 6pm, its ridiculous.

[Winsor_Pilates]

The issue with Vancouver is that all streets have names, not numbers. When you live there and know where you're going it's fine, but it's difficult when you're visiting or new.
Calgary's number system is way better.

[Vulcan]

I don't go into Vancouver much but what surprises me is that the downtown traffic isn't much different now than when I left in /76. Now trying to get onto the Port Mann bridge from Surrey is terrible like the traffic in most of the suburbs. I like it though that when I make a mistake and need to make a quick change of lanes, people are laid back enough to let me in.

[Northendzone]

Originally Posted by Winsor_Pilates

The issue with Vancouver is that all streets have names, not numbers. When you live there and know where you're going it's fine, but it's difficult when you're visiting or new.
Calgary's number system is way better.

i have lived in both Winnipeg and Kitchener-Waterloo ontario and both cities have streets with names, and I prefer that. Althoough I did find it odd that the main street in KW was called King Street and in Waterloo there wasd a King Street Sout and North, and in Kitchener it was King Street East and West and on a map the street ran north-south.......as an aside I beleive that there is some type of law in Ontario that says all cities must have a King and Queen street in them.......

I have never driven in Vcr - however after being there about a dozen times, I still feel like I have no sense of the way the citiy is laid out. I have always walked or taken a taxi......

[Mad Mel]

Originally Posted by Winsor_Pilates

The issue with Vancouver is that all streets have names, not numbers. When you live there and know where you're going it's fine, but it's difficult when you're visiting or new.
Calgary's number system is way better.

I agree that the number system is much easier, plus it lends itself to simple math (what, you want me to go all the way to 125th SE?!?!). Buuut... it's so bland. I dunno, I just like named streets, I think it adds a little bit of character.

Numbered streets don't work everywhere... you can't build straight roads in many places, like much of the city I live in. Too hilly.

[d_phaneuf]

Originally Posted by Hemi-Cuda

is there a more frustrating city to drive in than Vancouver?

No

[henriksedin33]

Originally Posted by diane_phaneuf

No

Yes, Victoria. At least Vancouverites do a good 10-20 over the limit on a consistent basis, try driving around at 40-45 everywhere you go on roads that are more and more being changed from 2 lanes each way to 1 lane each way with bike lanes and boulevards.

[HeartsOfFire]

Originally Posted by diane_phaneuf

No

[d_phaneuf]

Originally Posted by henriksedin33

Yes, Victoria. At least Vancouverites do a good 10-20 over the limit on a consistent basis, try driving around at 40-45 everywhere you go on roads that are more and more being changed from 2 lanes each way to 1 lane each way with bike lanes and boulevards.

Victoria is paradise compared to Vancouver

there are so many structural problems with Vancouver's driving but most of all its just a city full of people who don't know how, or just don't care, to drive the correct way

[stampsx2]

Calgary has the best traffic solution in all of Canada. Even the mess in the SW is better than just about any other major city. Calgary has managed well with the amount of growth it gets.

The lights are usually in sync, there are freeways with no lights and major construction is done overnight. I still complain, but you have to, it's part of driving.

Happy to be here.

[Igottago]

I also find Vancouver drivers pretty impatient and inconsiderate. I've come across people that don't seem to want to let you parallel park before having to pass by you; I've seen an accident and a lot of near misses because drivers are quickly changing lanes to get by people parking or making left turns. Other times they are utterly unaware of pedestrians.

Calgary drivers are no prize but at least people have enough courtesy to give a wave when you let them in a lane. I've rarely encountered that here.

I think its an extension of the how people are in general here. I find general courtesy amongst strangers is very cold compared to what you'd find in Calgary, so it probably ends up being that way on the road too.

[Hemi-Cuda]

Originally Posted by henriksedin33

Yes, Victoria. At least Vancouverites do a good 10-20 over the limit on a consistent basis, try driving around at 40-45 everywhere you go on roads that are more and more being changed from 2 lanes each way to 1 lane each way with bike lanes and boulevards.

this was the one bonus i saw driving to Vancouver. there was a ton of construction on highway 1 heading into the city and the speed limit is 80, but everyone was doing at least 100 and i was still getting passed regularly at that speed. but i agree that the named streets are annoying, being used to numbers in Calgary it makes getting around without knowing the city much more annoying

the biggest problem i have with downtown Vancouver though is that there are no left turn lanes. if you're not going to do what most downtowns do and make everything one-way, then at least throw a center lane down the middle so someone can make a left without grinding traffic to a halt behind them. and i lost count on how many triple right turns i had to do because left turns are completely prohibited on the major roads during the day

[scotty2hotty]

Originally Posted by Igottago

I also find Vancouver drivers pretty impatient and inconsiderate. .

This. Actually, in my three years living here I've found Vancouverites to be quite inconsiderate in general.

I've lived and driven in 4 major cities in my life .. Calgary, Vancouver, Atlanta and Dublin ... and I'd say that nowhere was driving more stressful than in Vancouver. The only thing less frequent than an actual turn signal when changing lanes is the subsequent wave afterwards. Both are a rarity here.

I also think the infrastructure is a joke considering that Vancouver strives to be the 'greenest' city in the world. "Let's show the world how green we are by expanding bike lanes and minimizing freeways .... I'm sure no one will notice that we actually caused a 20 minute increase in commute time and emissions for drivers."

[Hemi-Cuda]

oh and it probably would have been a good idea to look up Davie St before deciding to go for a beer at the nearby pub

[Winsor_Pilates]

Originally Posted by Hemi-Cuda

oh and it probably would have been a good idea to look up Davie St before deciding to go for a beer at the nearby pub

You're good if you're at the ends (Yaletown or Denman), it's in between you don't want to drop something.

[Igottago]

Originally Posted by scotty2hotty

I also think the infrastructure is a joke considering that Vancouver strives to be the 'greenest' city in the world. "Let's show the world how green we are by expanding bike lanes and minimizing freeways .... I'm sure no one will notice that we actually caused a 20 minute increase in commute time and emissions for drivers."

Transit here is sweet though. If I'm going downtown I have numerous quick and easy options from where I live. Its way better than driving down there.

[scotty2hotty]

Originally Posted by Igottago

Transit here is sweet though. If I'm going downtown I have numerous quick and easy options from where I live. Its way better than driving down there.

True dat.

I'll concede that point.