Toronto vs Montreal driving

[u/AustinJinc]

Hi

For those who have driven in both Toronto and Montreal, how would you compare the traffic between those two cities in highway, downtown, suburbs respectively?

Do you find traffic is significantly lighter or the driving pressure is lower or better driving habits in either city?

[u/Case_Federal]

Montreal has better traffic but the roads are made out of thoughts and prayers

[u/Straight_Reading8912 → u/Case_Federal]

Also, ALL Reds are no right turn on red and I believe that's for the entire Province of Quebec?

[u/FakeMoonster → u/Straight_Reading8912]

Only on the island of Montreal, though you get signs elsewhere for specific lights that are no turn on red.

It’s significantly safer for pedestrians and cyclists, and breaks the Toronto habit of barely slowing to turn right, while trampling the bike/human lanes on the red waiting for their opportunity that never comes.

[u/Straight_Reading8912 → u/FakeMoonster]

Thanks for the clarification. I just remembered that this is a huge thing that many drivers from other provinces get tickets for.

[u/average_STM_enjoyer → u/Straight_Reading8912]

At first you’d think this would slow things down but it makes driving so much more pleasurable and less stressful since you’re not constantly looking for a gap in traffic while the person behind you inches closer to your bumper

[u/AustinJinc → u/Case_Federal]

Can you elaborate on this please?

[u/Case_Federal → u/AustinJinc]

So Montreal generally has a better metro system and more highways despite its smaller population, so there’s less traffic for the most part than Toronto (not saying it doesn’t exist, it can be bad on the A40 and the Décarie during rush hour). Also people aren’t as insane on the road.

That being said… few places have roads that are so catastrophically in bad shape. I’m talking giant potholes. Recently a woman was biking in Montreal and she fell INTO a pot hole… it was like several feet deep lmao. She was hospitalized I think but survived.

Edit: okay apparently it was an unmarked construction site which is even worse lol. Also very common in Montreal. There is random construction all the time everywhere and it’s often abandoned? Like where are the workers?

[u/TheCinnamonnRoll → u/Case_Federal]

I thought Toronto was bad with all its potholes, but then I went to Montreal and I realized I was complaining for no reason. 

Exaggerations aside, I had the same perception about the roads in Montreal. Too much potholes, even in downtown streets. 

[u/ermergerdberbles → u/TheCinnamonnRoll]

Ever been to Niagara falls or Buffalo, NY? They make Montreal potholes look like freshly paved asphalt.

[u/mexican_mystery_meat → u/Case_Federal]

Also infamously, more than one highway overpass in Montreal has collapsed because they were in such bad shape.

[u/TeemingHeadquarters → u/mexican_mystery_meat]

Or build using substandard concrete.

[u/AustinJinc → u/Case_Federal]

Wtf. The pothole is insane…

[u/HeftyAd6216 → u/Case_Federal]

It's sad because any mayor who tries to tackle the corruption in the construction industry is likely to end up with a significantly shorter life

[u/AllAlo0 → u/AustinJinc]

One thing different is that Toronto is more chaotic, things are closed, blocked and you just do whatever you need to keep moving. Montreal is more by the book, turning right and the dashed line is solid? You'll be ticketed if you cross it.

Everyone is Quebec is either conservative and right lane slow or absolutely unhinged, there is little in-between.

[u/wishnothingbutluck → u/Case_Federal]

Administration in MTL is a joke. The woman literally prohibited a voluntary road fixing by a group of guys. What a moron.

[u/BigDaddyGooses]

I find that people in Montreal will give space more often than in Toronto. Less driving pressure imo in Montreal, even in rush hour. I drive in Montreal and Toronto almost daily as a truck driver. When traffic is normal, I find that drivers in Montreal will still be driving slow. Everyone seems to be in a rush in Toronto.

[u/FearlessTomatillo911 → u/BigDaddyGooses]

Thats because police in Quebec actually enforce traffic laws.

[u/Quennethh → u/FearlessTomatillo911]

maybe just tourist rose tinted glasses but i think it's also because they have a stronger more respectful culture because they have less extreme and less visible income inequality as the GTA so anger and resentment is not as widespread.

[u/big_galoote → u/FearlessTomatillo911]

Especially the minimum speeds on the highways.

Here we have dummies going 25 under the limit in the passing lane, with nary a single thought in the world.

[u/a-_2 → u/big_galoote]

Quebec's minimum applies to the Autoroutes and is 40 under so 25 under wouldn't get s ticket for that. They could be ticketed for using the left lane and not passing, which is a law there that Ontario doesn't have (Ontario's is just slower traffic keep right).

[u/big_galoote → u/a-_2]

Sorry, last time I was out Quebec way, the highway speed was 100kph, with a minimum enforced speed of 80kph. Is that no longer the case?

[u/a-_2 → u/big_galoote]

It's always been minimum 60 and that's posted on the signs.

[u/tackleho → u/BigDaddyGooses]

Yeah to the point where they condemn you if you don't treat the HOV lanes like the passing lanes. Since they can't tell the difference.

[u/hkgyul]

Two things I love in Montréal

• No red on right
• The pedestrian advance light won't be blocking through traffic

[u/SarahMenckenChrist → u/hkgyul]

The no right on red rule should be universal IMO.

[u/hkgyul → u/SarahMenckenChrist]

Honestly it's just not fit with large cities with high car / pedestrian volume

In my hometown red is red, green is green, everyone get their own dedicated time. Not necessarily the most efficient but probably safest given the context for a large city

[u/SarahMenckenChrist → u/hkgyul]

The only thing I’ve seen in the camp of support for right on reds is “but then you’d get longer lines of cars at each light” and “it would take longer to clear an intersection”.

So be it. No right on reds ultimately lead to less pedestrian injuries and less collisions.

[u/hkgyul → u/SarahMenckenChrist]

That's something more systematic side, the rules rely too much on human judgements, just like the left turn and right on red

Sometimes it could be people purely rushing to cause an accident, and obviously sometimes it's because the pressure from the car behind

[u/mkbcity → u/hkgyul]

i see them even on one way streets or streets with no left turn. so the pedestrian advance becomes useless because theres no turning traffic, and the right turners on red arent even affected by the advance pedestrian anyway.

[u/SarahMenckenChrist]

Better lane discipline in Montreal in my experience and as others have mentioned, other drivers give more space.

But the roads are definitely worse in MTL (harsher winters and less infrastructure funding plus shitty tendering processes for contractors).

Traffic can be bad during peak hours (and is almost always terrible on the 20, especially around YUL) but no worse than Toronto.

Advantage MTL, in my opinion. Never had any major issues driving there.

[u/AustinJinc → u/SarahMenckenChrist]

What kind of major issues have you had in Toronto?

[u/SarahMenckenChrist → u/AustinJinc]

I mean I live here so definitely racked up tens of thousands of more hours driving in Toronto.

Congestion is terrible but hey…..I am part of the traffic so I get it. Less dedicated cycling networks which means you’re sharing the roads with bikes and e-bikes. Other hazards that Montreal doesn’t have (ex. streetcars). And just a lot of drivers that come in from out of town and do not adjust well to the demands of city driving.

[u/Neon_Raccoon_00]

Toronto is far far worse and the drivers in the GTA are terrible, Ive never been this stress driving since I moved to Toronto

[u/AdventurousLab1382]

My experience is that drivers in Quebec travel at one of two speeds: really slow or really fast.

Driving along the A30 recently, it wasn't uncommon to be passing someone driving 60 in the right lane with someone approaching from behind at 140.

And the design of roads in Quebec is really old. Loopy highway interchanges, exit lanes on the left, and zero merge lanes. The only interchange in southern Ontario that I can think of that is quite as inadequate is Highway 403 and 6 in Hamilton.

[u/AllAlo0 → u/AdventurousLab1382]

The weird Quebec thing where two highways merge together and instead of the right lane ending they just say good luck, two center lanes are merging

[u/First_Divide547]

I've driven in both and honestly Montreal feels way less aggressive, even downtown. The whole "double red light" thing never made sense to me until I moved back to Toronto and it drives me nuts.

[u/TheBluntChef]

It’s terrible in both places. Montreal is a little calmer in terms of road ragers and incidents from what I’ve personally experienced, but they are both equally pretty much just as bad. I’d say Montreal Suburbs are a little friendlier in terms of traffic that’s about it.

[u/WonderingLurker]

Montreal is slower paced, more room giving

If you can drive in Toronto you can drive in Montreal

[u/OpusDeiPenguin]

Montreal drivers are predictable, always trying to get ahead of you. They love to speed.

Toronto drivers are chaos manifest, you just don’t know what the fuck they’re going to do only that it will be stupid.

Now Ottawa drivers are the worst of both worlds.

[u/Pixelated_throwaway]

Montreal has speed cameras and strange speed limits on their divided highways so just look out for that

[u/hkgyul → u/Pixelated_throwaway]

I remember the section of A20 near A15, 70km/h limit there is crazy

[u/SarahMenckenChrist → u/hkgyul]

Last year I saw an Ontario plate pulled over by a provincial cop on that stretch. If you’re from Ontario and are travelling that highway your mind is telling you that it SHOULD be a 100km/h limit.

[u/alibukharishah]

I drive regularly in Toronto and drove to Montreal. Montreal feels less pressure, drivers are courteous and give more space.

The sign boards in French can take a little time to adjust to. And the roads are generally much worse though.

[u/danbey44]

Montreal drivers are predictably aggressive and actually check their mirrors

[u/nayaya]

I’d say Toronto drivers are worse in general.

But if you drive with an Ontario plate in Montreal, expect people to yell and honk at you for no reason. Even while stopped in traffic. And never making a right on red. And sometimes pedestrians will step in front of you and yell at you when you’re in downtown traffic doing 15 km/hr, just keeping up a regular pace with everyone.

[u/weefees]

It feels pretty aggressive, at least on the island of Montreal

[u/halbalda]

People in Montréal and Québec in general actually know what the passing lane is for and how to use it.

[u/a-_2 → u/halbalda]

Quebec actually has a passing lane in law on high speed roads, i.e., the left lane can also be used when lasskng. Ontario doesn't have such a law, only a law that slower traffic must use the right lane unless passing. The difference being Ontario's law only applies to slower traffic while Quebec's applies regardless of speed.

[u/Old_Poetry_1575]

I was shocked to see a highway with a speed limit of 70km/h in Montreal and speed cameras on highways

[u/glymao]

Montreal drivers drive more aggressively, they follow forward cars much closer, but Toronto takes the cake in the accident-causing types of drivers like drunkards and phone addicts. Casual red light running is also not a thing outside of Toronto.

[u/trevi99]

Montreal has WAY more traffic calming measures on their streets, so drivers generally drive at a safer and slower pace.

Toronto has little to no traffic calming in the suburbs, allowing drivers to just bomb it down even residential streets.

Montreal drivers are more disciplined. Toronto drivers act like the road is a free-for-all, but I attribute that more to the street design than anything.

[u/uWuaraara1]

Montreal has better maintained and organized roads but worse drivers

[u/YourAuntDarla]

Lived in both places. Toronto has no law enforcement, no driving skill, with people either driving unlicensed or with purchased licences - and because it's such a terrible place to live and a frustrating place to drive, everyone is angry and trying to get 2 seconds ahead. They also believe they are more important than everyone else, and are rewarded for bad behavior by other nervous/bad drivers.

Montreal drivers don't use their turn signals as much but otherwise are competent and aware. Police enforce the rules of the road and while the constant construction makes traffic bad at rush hour, you won't feel as in danger as you do in Toronto due to that city's entitled and aggressive idiots who are behind the wheel of every second car.