Comments on: Ten Things You Should Know About Montreal Traffic http://www.howwedrive.com/2008/10/22/ten-things-to-know-about-montreal-traffic/ Just another WordPress weblog Thu, 17 May 2012 04:42:41 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: J Mac http://www.howwedrive.com/2008/10/22/ten-things-to-know-about-montreal-traffic/#comment-1863 J Mac Thu, 23 Oct 2008 02:53:52 +0000 http://www.howwedrive.com/?p=337#comment-1863 I was until very recently a Montrealer, and I will happily back up your claims that drivers there are nuts. The phenomenon of drivers ignoring pedestrian crosswalks is so common that there have been official city council studies to deal with it, which haven't been very successful. I'm very surprised about your observations about jaywalking -- most Montrealers do it all the time, largely, I think, <em>because</em> pedestrian crossings are meaningless, drivers are nuts and there's thus no real advantage to crossing where you're legally supposed to. The freeways that flank the city's centre are both products of 60s-era theories of planning and aesthetics (towering, curving expressways and onramps are so futuristic). Because they're elevated widening or altering them is next to impossible -- which is good since more lanes only encourages more cars. The separated cyclepath downtown is very new, and is the long-demanded east-west link in the city's relatively decent cycling network. It required removing a lot of parking spots and suggests a political daring seldom seen in a city where little ever seems to happen. I'd always understood New York and Montreal to be the two cities with no right on red. And yeah, the traffic lights with race-track timing ... totally insane. I was until very recently a Montrealer, and I will happily back up your claims that drivers there are nuts. The phenomenon of drivers ignoring pedestrian crosswalks is so common that there have been official city council studies to deal with it, which haven’t been very successful. I’m very surprised about your observations about jaywalking — most Montrealers do it all the time, largely, I think, because pedestrian crossings are meaningless, drivers are nuts and there’s thus no real advantage to crossing where you’re legally supposed to.

The freeways that flank the city’s centre are both products of 60s-era theories of planning and aesthetics (towering, curving expressways and onramps are so futuristic). Because they’re elevated widening or altering them is next to impossible — which is good since more lanes only encourages more cars.

The separated cyclepath downtown is very new, and is the long-demanded east-west link in the city’s relatively decent cycling network. It required removing a lot of parking spots and suggests a political daring seldom seen in a city where little ever seems to happen.

I’d always understood New York and Montreal to be the two cities with no right on red. And yeah, the traffic lights with race-track timing … totally insane.

]]> By: Prolific Programmer http://www.howwedrive.com/2008/10/22/ten-things-to-know-about-montreal-traffic/#comment-1856 Prolific Programmer Wed, 22 Oct 2008 22:21:51 +0000 http://www.howwedrive.com/?p=337#comment-1856 Do you have thoughts on Paris traffic? Or, better yet, Beirut? Do you have thoughts on Paris traffic? Or, better yet, Beirut?

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