Pan Am traffic - how bad?

[Kilgore Trout]

I was driving the east bound 401 yesterday and was surprised by all the one occupant cars I saw in the HOV lane.

The one good thing about Pan AM is late last night from Morningside to 427 last I saw no road construction crews at all.
Guess they're keeping construction to an absolute minimum till 24 hours after the games are over.

 

[Damondean]

I plan to buy a Rob Ford blowup doll and drive with it next to me to se what happens. )

 

[Perry Mason]

I plan to buy a Rob Ford blowup doll and drive with it next to me to se what happens. )

I think you will get blown up... which is not the same as blown!

Perry

 

[NHFL]

I was driving the east bound 401 yesterday and was surprised by all the one occupant cars I saw in the HOV lane.

The one good thing about Pan AM is late last night from Morningside to 427 last I saw no road construction crews at all.
Guess they're keeping construction to an absolute minimum till 24 hours after the games are over.

I notice you said "late last night" when you were driving is when you saw one-occupant vehicles in the HOV lanes. I believe that HOV only applies during certain hours of the day. At least that is the case on the Gardiner Westbound... HOV is from 5:00am to 11:00pm. Don't know about other routes though.

 

[Perry Mason]

HOV is from 5:00am to 11:00pm. Don't know about other routes though.

That is just mind fucking by your fucking minded government!

How heavy is traffic at 2 a.m.?

Perry

 

[TeeJay]

i see no cops out there enforcing the rules

how can the cops pull them over

The HOV lanes are awesome
I have been tearing through city last couple of days

There really are no good places for cops to camp out either (I actually saw a cop the other day but he didn't even move to try and cross the mess of regular lanes)

1 person HOV is the only way to travel, I hope they become permanent

 

[Ridgeman08]

The HOV lanes are awesome
I have been tearing through city last couple of days

There really are no good places for cops to camp out either (I actually saw a cop the other day but he didn't even move to try and cross the mess of regular lanes)

1 person HOV is the only way to travel, I hope they become permanent

On what planet are you driving? Certainly not the 400 series in the GTA these last few weeks.

For the better part of 4 years now, I have been traveling the 401, 400, 403, 407, 427, QEW, Gardiner throughout the K-W to Durham region on a daily basis. In that time, unless they are at the scene of an accident, I RARELY see police cruisers patrolling the 400 series highways. I could literally count them on one hand. that all changed in the last week and a half. Now, I see numerous of them DAILY, and I suspect many of them are handing out tickets for HOV lane infractions to idiots like you. Why do you think they started the HOV rules early???? Its a CASH grab.

 

[Frankunderwood]

Save your breath, Ridge. TJ will find out the hard (& expensive) way.

 

[mammo]

If the government were really smart, they would have introduced HOV toll lanes for the duration of the games.
First you introduce HOV, make life miserable for everyone who has to drive in to work.
Then, once the frustration level has really ramped up (like now), you introduce a system where, if you are going to be less than three people in a car, you can buy a special pass for the duration of the games that will allow you to drive in the HOV lanes with less than three persons.

So far, I've only had to drive in at 6 am and its barely bearable. Can't wait until next week when I have to drive in around 10 am and the Games are now fully underway and see what the shit show is really like.

And I was at the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver where they had similar HOV type restrictions - and it wasn't as bad as it is here
Was also at the 2008 Olympics in China but there the government just told everyone to stay off the roads between certain time and it worked like a charm!

 

[herbnessman]

The HOV lanes are awesome
I have been tearing through city last couple of days

There really are no good places for cops to camp out either (I actually saw a cop the other day but he didn't even move to try and cross the mess of regular lanes)

1 person HOV is the only way to travel, I hope they become permanent

The only thing worse than dealing with this headache is seeing jerks who flaunt the rules while the rest of us have the courtesy to suffer together.

You're probably the type to bud in line and use the express lane with 30 items.

Hope you get caught.

 

[herbnessman]

If the government were really smart, they would have introduced HOV toll lanes for the duration of the games.
First you introduce HOV, make life miserable for everyone who has to drive in to work.
Then, once the frustration level has really ramped up (like now), you introduce a system where, if you are going to be less than three people in a car, you can buy a special pass for the duration of the games that will allow you to drive in the HOV lanes with less than three persons.

So far, I've only had to drive in at 6 am and its barely bearable. Can't wait until next week when I have to drive in around 10 am and the Games are now fully underway and see what the shit show is really like.

And I was at the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver where they had similar HOV type restrictions - and it wasn't as bad as it is here
Was also at the 2008 Olympics in China but there the government just told everyone to stay off the roads between certain time and it worked like a charm!

The backlash would be even greater with that strategy.

If they made the cost affordable the effectiveness of the lanes would be negated.

If they made it too pricey the perception would be lanes for the privileged. Not exactly a good idea when you are also trying to promote an event that is having trouble selling tickets.

 

[mandrill]

I drive at non peak times and against the flow of traffic on the dvp and gardiner. On the gardiner, I have seen little enforcement. On the dvp otoh, cop presence is massive, ubiquitous and aggressive. I Figure that the hov lanes add 15 minutes to my commute. Inconvenient but not awful. Mind you, I am very selective about the times I commute because I am self employed. So no rush commutes.

 

[jcpro]

One thing is for sure. The downtown businesses are taking it right up the ass, thanks to the traffic madness. I drove downtown after 12 noon today and there was hardly any traffic on 427 and Gardiner. And that's with Lakeshore closed. Looks like people are avoiding the city.

 

[GPIDEAL]

The HOV lanes in existence prior to these games that I've encountered are either on the 404 before the DVP, the 403 and the QEW.

The 404 and QEW are temporary or short HOV lanes. Eventually, they lead to motherfucking, stupid, bottlenecks and traffic. What's the point? The 403 is a longer one and not so bad as there are more lanes to merge into to exit the HOV, or more exits to relieve them before they end.

 

[glamphotographer]

The traffic in the DT core this weekend not too bad. Must be the highways in around the GTA that are worst.

 

[tribunus]

Not too bad at all getting in and out the city via Gardiner today. I think a lot of people stayed the fuck out of dodge because of this stupid event.

 

[kkelso]

I'm driving into downtown on the Gardiner this coming Thursday afternoon. How much extra time should I set aside?

Thanks - KK

 

[jrobertson1]

I'm driving into downtown on the Gardiner this coming Thursday afternoon. How much extra time should I set aside?

Thanks - KK

Normal commute time X1.5 in my experience thusfar

 

[TeeJay]

The only thing worse than dealing with this headache is seeing jerks who flaunt the rules while the rest of us have the courtesy to suffer together.

You're probably the type to bud in line and use the express lane with 30 items.

Hope you get caught.

Surprised how much hatred lol
Maybe will make a youtube video for you all next week to watch

BTW the thing with civil disobedience is the cops can not catch everyone
Same idea as speeding, if 1 cruiser gets passed by 200 cars in a shift does he really want to write that many tickets

I say fuck the hov lanes, use em, and even if by some random chance you get caught fight the ticket in court

 

[bobcat40]

Surprised how much hatred lol
Maybe will make a youtube video for you all next week to watch

BTW the thing with civil disobedience is the cops can not catch everyone
Same idea as speeding, if 1 cruiser gets passed by 200 cars in a shift does he really want to write that many tickets

I say fuck the hov lanes, use em, and even if by some random chance you get caught fight the ticket in court

I love the rebellious attitude...but how exactly are you going to fight the HOV lane ticket in court? "Your honor, the officer was mistaken when he saw only myself in the vehicle. I actually had 2 other passengers who were locked in the trunk"