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Ontario's Highways

Started by un1, January 19, 2009, 03:21:49 PM

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AsphaltPlanet

From one variety of four-lane highway to another... Hwy 69 north of Parry Sound, ON.  The undivided photos were taken in 2012, and the divided highway photos were taken in 2016:

Looking south:




Looking north:


AsphaltPlanet.ca  Youtube -- Opinions expressed reflect the viewpoints of others.


7/8

The Ontario Liberals want to re-introduce photo radar in Ontario. Kathleen Wynne is insisting that it'll be for school zones only, but I (along with many other people) am worried that this is a slippery slope to introducing it on other roads.
http://www.torontosun.com/2017/05/01/photo-radar-will-stick-to-school-zones-wynne-insists

Meanwhile, Alberta is reviewing its photo radar policy due to concerns of it being a "cash cow".
http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/alberta-announces-photo-radar-review-amid-concerns-it-has-become-a-cash-cow-1.3410996

It's hard to argue with that when the following article states that "In Edmonton, the city tripled photo radar revenues from $16 million in 2011 to $52 million in 2016, first by secretly dropping the tolerance for speeding by five km/h, then by ramping up photo radar deployment."
http://edmontonjournal.com/news/politics/david-staples-how-the-alberta-government-can-fix-edmontons-photo-radar-abuse

I personally hope this bill will be shot down, but I guess we'll just have to wait and see...

compdude787

Hopefully they don't put it up on rural freeways in Ontario, or else everyone would get pulled over!

7/8

Quote from: compdude787 on May 25, 2017, 01:04:15 PM
Hopefully they don't put it up on rural freeways in Ontario, or else everyone would get pulled over!

But it could help pay off our debt! :bigass:

Joe The Dragon

Quote from: compdude787 on May 25, 2017, 01:04:15 PM
Hopefully they don't put it up on rural freeways in Ontario, or else everyone would get pulled over!
maybe the freeways need to be 65-70+ MPH.

aboges26

Quote from: Joe The Dragon on May 26, 2017, 12:32:48 AM
Quote from: compdude787 on May 25, 2017, 01:04:15 PM
Hopefully they don't put it up on rural freeways in Ontario, or else everyone would get pulled over!
maybe the freeways need to be 65-70+ MPH.

They sure need to be, but I doubt it will happen anytime soon.  When I was 17 I drove to Toronto for the first time on the 401 coming from Detroit and my mother woke up from a nap just east of London and yelled at me that I was trying to get us killed when I was going 110 KM/H with all the traffic speeding past.  I sped up to 120 and was still the slowest car on the road  :sombrero:

7/8

I didn't find out until today, but the Ontario government passed The Safer School Zones Act on May 30th.

https://news.ontario.ca/mto/en/2017/05/ontario-passes-legislation-to-keep-kids-safe-on-local-roads.html

QuoteThe Safer School Zones Act gives municipalities more tools to fight speeding and dangerous driving in their communities, including:

  • Automated speed enforcement (ASE) technology, which will help catch speeders. Municipalities will have the option to use this technology in school zones and also in community safety zones on roads with speed limits below 80 km/h.
  • The ability to create zones with reduced speed limits to decrease the frequency and severity of pedestrian-vehicle collisions in urban areas.
  • A streamlined process for municipalities to participate in Ontario's effective Red Light Camera program without the need for lengthy regulatory approval.
Municipalities, police boards and road safety advocates from across Ontario have asked for these tools to help keep roads safe, particularly in areas with children and seniors.  With the passage of this new legislation, municipalities will now have the option to implement road safety measures in a way that makes sense in their local communities.

Ontario's roads have consistently ranked among the safest in North America, and these new tools will help make communities even safer for all vulnerable road users.

Quick Facts
  • ASE is already used in many parts of North America and Europe. It will not be implemented on provincial highways.
  • Speed is one of the biggest killers on Ontario's roads: 14 per cent of all people killed on Ontario's roads in 2013 died in collisions where speed was a factor.
  • In 2013, approximately 3 out of every 4 speed-related collisions occurred on municipal roads.
  • Studies show that the use of automated speed enforcement leads to fewer fatalities and serious collisions.

Good news is it can't be used on roads with speed limits of 80+. Bad news is that it's now easier for municipalities to lower speed limits and create Community Safety Zones. Municipalities looking for cash may end up lowering speed limits around the city to take advantage of the ASE revenue.

Does anyone know if there are any limits to how many (or how much total km of) Community Safety Zones are allowed in a municipality? Could a municipality theoretically make every street one?

AsphaltPlanet

AsphaltPlanet.ca  Youtube -- Opinions expressed reflect the viewpoints of others.

7/8

Nice photos AsphaltPlanet! I've read that it's being widened from 6 to 10 lanes, but these photos make it look even wider than that. It'll be cool to have an HOV lane here in Waterloo Region.

AsphaltPlanet

Some photos of the 407 widening project through Mississauga between the 410 and 427 interchanges.  Crews are making good progress, and the additional median lane should be opened to traffic within the next few weeks.  These photos were taken the same day as the above K/W photos:


http://www.asphaltplanet.ca/ON/hwy_407-409_images/407_cl_47_west_WB_Jul17_24x16.jpg


http://www.asphaltplanet.ca/ON/hwy_407-409_images/407_cl_47_east_EB_Jul17_24x16.jpg


http://www.asphaltplanet.ca/ON/hwy_407-409_images/407_cl_48_west_Jul17_24x16.jpg


http://www.asphaltplanet.ca/ON/hwy_407-409_images/407_cl_48_east_WB_Jul17_24x16.jpg
AsphaltPlanet.ca  Youtube -- Opinions expressed reflect the viewpoints of others.

Plutonic Panda


compdude787

Wait, they need to widen the 407? I thought the tolls were kept high enough that it is usually free-flowing.

cbeach40

Quote from: compdude787 on July 26, 2017, 07:34:06 PM
Wait, they need to widen the 407? I thought the tolls were kept high enough that it is usually free-flowing.

Balancing supply (highway capacity) and demand, and a cost/benefit analysis. You could have four lanes per direction each handling up to about 7600 vph, or you could have 5 lanes each with up to about 9500 vph. Is it better to raise the toll to cap demand at 4 lanes worth, or to build the extra one?
and waterrrrrrr!

andrepoiy

#888
I noticed that they started the construction of VIVA bus lanes on the section of Hwy 7 where the limit is 80. I'm thinking there is no need since there rarely are traffic jams in this area and everyone drives 100... It's a pretty open road to me, and what use for the bus lanes? There isn't even any commercial area alongside this section of Hwy 7.

if you don't know where I'm talking about this section of Hwy 7 looks like this: Credits to the photo owner:

compdude787

That road almost looks like a freeway to me! All it's missing is a Jersey barrier.

SignGeek101

Quote from: compdude787 on July 29, 2017, 05:46:58 PM
That road almost looks like a freeway to me! All it's missing is a Jersey barrier.

Except with the traffic light in the background...

Quote from: andrepoiy on July 29, 2017, 02:03:37 PM
I noticed that they started the construction of VIVA bus lanes on the section of Hwy 7 where the limit is 80. I'm thinking there is no need since there rarely are traffic jams in this area and everyone drives 100... It's a pretty open road to me, and what use for the bus lanes? There isn't even any commercial area alongside this section of Hwy 7.

It's not a provincial road, so (as far as I know) there are no AADT numbers. I'm sure it was done for a reason.

mgk920

Quote from: AsphaltPlanet on May 06, 2017, 09:10:49 AM
Video of the 407 including the first phase of the extension:



What did this ride cost you in tolls?

I do like 407ETR's electronic version of a 'closed ticket' system for tolling - putting the gantries only on the on and off ramps.  IMHO, this allows for the highway to function just like a normal freeway with more frequent on and off ramp access than on other tollways and without full highway gantries every km or two.

IMHO, this is the way that the ISTHA should go if they ever convert to transponder/photo only tolling.

Also, what is the status of 407ETR and its eastward MTO extension accepting E-ZPass?

Mike

Chris

Quote from: compdude787 on July 26, 2017, 07:34:06 PM
Wait, they need to widen the 407? I thought the tolls were kept high enough that it is usually free-flowing.

The tolls are pretty steep, especially for everyday usage. It makes you wonder how so many people can afford that, considering the also very high cost of housing in Toronto.

I wish there would be detailed AADT figures for the 407. It is claimed that the Highway 407 ETR carries 350,000 trips per day but I think those are the total number of transactions and not a segmental AADT figure. There are 12 lanes between the 400 and 427, but it doesn't appear very congested so I'm guessing the AADT may be in the 175,000 - 200,000 range. It is almost 5 p.m. on a Friday as of this posting and Google Maps displays that section with green-to-orange traffic flow. Probably dense traffic, but not backed up like the 400 and 401.

AsphaltPlanet

Some photos of Phase 2A of the 407 Extension taken last weekend:

View looking westerly from Winchester Road, just east of the current eastern terminus of the highway.  Paving had been started only a few weeks before these photos were taken.

http://www.asphaltplanet.ca/ON/hwy_407-409_images/407E/2017/07-Jul/407E_cl_128_west_t_Jul30-17_24x16.jpg

Easterly view from the Winchester Road overpass:

http://www.asphaltplanet.ca/ON/hwy_407-409_images/407E/2017/07-Jul/407E_cl_128_east_t_Jul30-17_24x16.jpg

Westerly view towards Winchester Road from the Langmaid Road overpass

http://www.asphaltplanet.ca/ON/hwy_407-409_images/407E/2017/07-Jul/407E_cl_130_west_t_Jul30-17_24x16.jpg

Easterly view from Langmaid Road towards Concession 6:

http://www.asphaltplanet.ca/ON/hwy_407-409_images/407E/2017/07-Jul/407E_cl_130_east_EB_Jul30-17_24x16.jpg

Westerly view from Concession Road 6 towards Langmaid Road:

http://www.asphaltplanet.ca/ON/hwy_407-409_images/407E/2017/07-Jul/407E_cl_131_west_EB_Jul30-17_24x16.jpg

Easterly view from Concession Road 6 towards the Enfield Road interchange:

http://www.asphaltplanet.ca/ON/hwy_407-409_images/407E/2017/07-Jul/407E_cl_131_east_Jul30-17_24x16.jpg

Two views looking westerly from the Solina Road overpass in the direction of the Enfield Road interchange:

http://www.asphaltplanet.ca/ON/hwy_407-409_images/407E/2017/07-Jul/407E_cl_133_west_WB_Jul30-17_24x16.jpg


http://www.asphaltplanet.ca/ON/hwy_407-409_images/407E/2017/07-Jul/407E_cl_133_west_EB_t_Jul30-17_24x16.jpg

Easterly view towards the future 407/418 interchange from the Solina Road overpass:

http://www.asphaltplanet.ca/ON/hwy_407-409_images/407E/2017/07-Jul/407E_cl_133_east_EB_Jul30-17_24x16.jpg
AsphaltPlanet.ca  Youtube -- Opinions expressed reflect the viewpoints of others.

Stephane Dumas

Saw the Eastern terminus of Hwy-407 at Hwy-35/115. It end like a trumpet http://mapper.acme.com/?ll=44.02097,-78.60624&z=16&t=H and I wonder if they had though to extent it further to the east to reach Hwy-401 somewhere near Cobourg?

I guess they'll have to de-RIRO and fully freewaylize Hwy-35/115 between Hwy-407 and the northern split of 35/115 where Hwy-115 goes full freeway.

AsphaltPlanet

There are no plans to extend the 407 beyond the 35/115.  Certainly it wouldn't be impossible in the future, but I really can't see it happening anytime soon.

To my knowledge there are also no plans to convert the 35/115 into a freeway.  The MTO is planning to resurface the 35/115 north of the 407 interchange which could potentially include some minor operational improvements (specifically at the closely spaced Wilcox and Highway 35 interchanges), but that's about it for the near term.
AsphaltPlanet.ca  Youtube -- Opinions expressed reflect the viewpoints of others.

bubbamcgee

Any idea why they didn't make a complete freeway connection from 407 to 115?  Is sure seems like it would have been better to have a full freeway connection coming down from Peterborough.

AsphaltPlanet

When the 407 was first conceived, it was envisioned to meet the 35/115 right at the current 35 and 115 interchange.  During more recent design iterations it's alignment was pulled to the south so that it would be closer to the population centres within the municipality of Clarington, as well as as avoid most of the ecologically sensitive Oak Ridges Moraine to the north.
AsphaltPlanet.ca  Youtube -- Opinions expressed reflect the viewpoints of others.

cbeach40

#898
Quote from: AsphaltPlanet on August 07, 2017, 05:33:07 PM
When the 407 was first conceived, it was envisioned to meet the 35/115 right at the current 35 and 115 interchange.  During more recent design iterations it's alignment was pulled to the south so that it would be closer to the population centres within the municipality of Clarington, as well as as avoid most of the ecologically sensitive Oak Ridges Moraine to the north.

Original 1963 Alignment (details updated to 1968)

(photobucket link)
and waterrrrrrr!

bubbamcgee

I can see that it is closer to Clarington; but, marginally at best.  The freeway gap between 407 and 115 is only going to be about 4 miles apart.  Are there plans at some point to convert those few miles over to full freeway?



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