Driving Time Help Please?

H

homer

Well-known member
Aug 18, 2001
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Hello:

I'm in Oshawa today, and have to pick up a friend at Pearson Airport for 7 pm (his flight arrives at 6). Just wondering what time I should leave, especially since it'll probably be rush hour and probably pretty busy between the DVP and 427 ish. Anyone prediction's? I'm thinking around 5:30ish?
Thanks

Homer
 
homer said:
Hello:

I'm in Oshawa today, and have to pick up a friend at Pearson Airport for 7 pm (his flight arrives at 6). Just wondering what time I should leave, especially since it'll probably be rush hour and probably pretty busy between the DVP and 427 ish. Anyone prediction's? I'm thinking around 5:30ish?
Thanks

Homer
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With the construction going on in the Express just before the 400, increased traffic volumes, more accidents, your best bet is to leave before 5pm. I travel between Mississauga and Scarborough daily and it usually takes me about 90 minutes to get across the top of the city on a good day.
 
I spend all day driving around, and have spent numerous time driving to the airport so the first the question I 'd ask is what road you'd take.

The reason is, that if you're taking the 401 from Oshawa leaving before 5:00pm would be a safe bet , but with taking the 407 (if you can) and you're sticking with the 7pm pick up leaving after 5:30pm is fine.

The better question is that if his flight arrives at 6pm there is a good chance he'll be out before 7pm. Pearson is getting better at expiditing arrivals.

Good luck
 
Thanks!

Wow!

Thanks for the quick replies, I hadn't even considered the 407? Where does it go out to now (Pickering, Oshawa?). Thanks again!

Homer
 
it ends at highway 7 just east of brock rd. you could take all the way to the 427 but I'm not sure how much that is gonna cost you, their cost calculator function from their website isn't working right now.

LIM
 
Whenever I pick someone up from the airport, I have them call me when they've landed. This saves me circling around or parking, the last time the flight was over an hour late in arriving.
 
Or MDS, Airport Strip or any of the other fine establishements in the area. That's what I always used to do back when I had to pick people up from Pearson.
 
WinterHawk said:
I travel between Mississauga and Scarborough daily and it usually takes me about 90 minutes to get across the top of the city on a good day.
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holy crap. 90 minutes is what it takes me to drive down from Orillia on a summer's sunday night... i am so happy i don't do any east/west commuting!!!
 
21pro said:
holy crap. 90 minutes is what it takes me to drive down from Orillia on a summer's sunday night... i am so happy i don't do any east/west commuting!!!
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90 minutes? Why so long? You don't actually do 80 do you?
 
Now that you have reached the Airport Arrivals, the real fun begins.

They won't let you sit and wait for even a minute at Arrivals. There are numerous yellow jacket turds walking around making you move on. And the drive around the airport just to get back to Arrivals is stupid.

I like to play with the turds , if I'm in the mood. Pretend you don't see him, make him walk over, then just as he gets near move on 100 feet and do it again. :)

But there is a parking lot where you can park for free and wait for your pickup to call you when they clear customs. Follow the blue parking sign with the picture of a cell phone on it.
 
Why not mapquest it? :D
 
dcbogey said:
why not leave, head to The landing strip and or SRM to kill a little time! :D
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This is BY FAR the best approach. Leave at 3:30, get to the SC of your choice whenever, kill time until your friend lets you know he has landed.

If it is too late for cell phone arrangements then you can go with your original plan of circling the arrivals areas.

Don't try to time it to the minute during rush hour. Leave in plenty of time and relax at the other end. Otherwise you wil be obsessing about it all the way out there.
 
WinterHawk said:
I travel between Mississauga and Scarborough daily and it usually takes me about 90 minutes to get across the top of the city on a good day.
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:eek:

I failed to see this before.....90 Minutes to cross the GTA? Are you taking Eglinton Avenue.

I drive around the GTA (and province) all day long, and it's never taken me 90 minutes to get across the GTA. I mean in 90 minutes, I can make it to Orillia, Niagara Falls and once at 3am Toronto to Peterborough. (Don't ask....the car was a rental)
 
masterchief said:
:eek:

I failed to see this before.....90 Minutes to cross the GTA? Are you taking Eglinton Avenue.

I drive around the GTA (and province) all day long, and it's never taken me 90 minutes to get across the GTA. I mean in 90 minutes, I can make it to Orillia, Niagara Falls and once at 3am Toronto to Peterborough. (Don't ask....the car was a rental)
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At 3am I hope so, but if you re-read what time Homer was talking about he's gonna be right smack in the middle of rush hour!

I agree with the others here, you're gonna need to leave around 5pm even if you take the 407 it may save you 15 minutes but cost ya a lot more.

LIM
 
Edifice said:
Why not mapquest it? :D
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Because Mapquest makes no allowance at all for the bumper-to-bumper crawl of rush hour. The times they give are when you are moving at the limit - fat chance of that during the dinner rush hour.

the 90 minute suggestion is a good one provided you don't hit any major accidents - then all bets are off.
 
Compromised said:
90 minutes? Why so long? You don't actually do 80 do you?
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80, I'm lucky if I do 20. It's 5 o'clock and 3 out of 4 lanes have nothing but Tractor Trailors for as far as the eye can see. The 401 would actually probably move along at a good pace if freight actually moved by rail like it should. Why does a tractor trailer destined to the US coming from Quebec, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, etc.. have to be coming through Toronto at 5pm?

Yea, yea, yea, I know that trains don't move until they have a very, very long number cars attached, and the added costs of getting the material to and from a marshalling yard... How much time and money is wasted in our city wide traffic jam? How much gas is wasted because these rigs are on the road using the highest energy cost used in moving product?
 
masterchief said:
:eek:

I failed to see this before.....90 Minutes to cross the GTA? Are you taking Eglinton Avenue.

I drive around the GTA (and province) all day long, and it's never taken me 90 minutes to get across the GTA. I mean in 90 minutes, I can make it to Orillia, Niagara Falls and once at 3am Toronto to Peterborough. (Don't ask....the car was a rental)
Click to expand...

On a good day maybe just over an hour, but on average 90 minutes. Add an extra hour if there's been an accident or 2, an additional 15 minutes if they close down a lane.

You got to remember the 401 is the busiest Highway in North America, more cars and trucks use it daily than any other highway. And before you mention any city like Atlanta, Boston, New York or my favourite LA, they don't come close. And I used to travel the 405 daily from downtown LA to the valley daily.
 
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