7 Things Locals Would Change About Toronto's Highways & Some Ideas Aren't Half Bad
Someone said they would "bury" the Gardiner if they could.
Highway 401 East in Toronto.
Nobody likes getting caught in bumper-to-bumper traffic or dealing with frustrating street signs when trying to drive back home from a long day of work. So someone asked on Toronto's Reddit board what "simple improvement" others would make to a highway in the city in order to ease traffic.
Lately, the Ontario government has been making some serious plans involving the province's highways in an effort to fight some of the gridlocks on the province's busiest roads.
They've removed the tolls on highways 412 and 418 and announced plans to build Highway 413 and the Bradford Bypass, but some Redditors have spoken about what they would like to see change in Toronto.
Here are some of their responses (both serious and not).
Dedicated truck lanes
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One user thinks giving truck drivers their own designated lane will help.
Trains, trains, trains
One comment simply stating "Trains" got over 550 likes, and tons of users agreed.
There were a few suggestions on how to bring high-speed trains to the 6ix (and throughout Ontario, too.)
"I came to say the same thing. Run a train line down the median of every highway. It's not the transit plan I'd choose but if I were doing something to highways specifically..." someone suggested.
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Another Redditor shared that they would be "so happy" to take a high-speed train to places like London, Montreal or Halifax.
"Like if Barrie or Halifax or wherever in between had a high speed train to Union, so many more people would live along these lines rather than trying to get as close to the city as their wallets will allow," they added.
Buying back Highway 407
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Highway 407 ETR is privately owned, so it's outside of the Ontario government's regulations. A spokesperson for the Ministry of Transportation previously told Narcity in an email that the lease for 407 ETR is set to expire on April 6, 2098.
A few users think it's time to buy it back, and take the tolls off of it when they do.
Cutting traffic by adding more public transit
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Others also thought that affordable public transit could be an answer.
Burying the Gardiner
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Not exactly a "simple" solution but an option nonetheless.
Getting rid of some of the 401's exits
Anyone who's driven on the 401 likely feels some type of way about it, and so did the commenters on the thread.
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"Prevent getting off 401EB Express to Leslie St. A quick cutover across all lanes of the Collectors that seems to cause a lot of problems," one user said.
Others added that the same should be done at the 401EB Express at Markham Road and at Kennedy Road.
Or, just help with Highway 401 at Kennedy
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The 401 at Kennedy Road seems like it needs a fair bit of work in the eyes of some drivers.
"As a Scarborough resident.. this. The way it bottles up with everyone from the express trying to get over to that specific exit, I don't know how there aren't more accidents lol," a user said.
One person likened their driving experience to that of the "Wild West," and another said the dash from the express to the Kennedy exit to the off-ramp is "so sketchy."
So, what would you do to make the highways better?
This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.