Originally Posted by Shakyuk

This seems an odd reason to emigrate considering it is starting your life again...


I can appreciate what you say about the UK, the war on cars is something that does annoy me. I find it particularly annoying how new industrial and housing estates are built but the councils around here award roughly half to a third of the parking spaces required because they say this 'encourages people to use public transport, car share or cycle'. The council then doesn't provide any additional public transport or cycle lanes. it's still a massive pain and costly to just use public transport to get a few miles from home within a relatively high population density area. For example it is the same cost in a taxi to town for myself and my girlfriend as it is to catch the bus.


All this means is we have many new housing and industrial estates which are down to single lane roads because cars are abandoned everywhere due to lack of parking. This further increases the intolerable congestion that now seems to last until 11 pm in Wigan... anyway I went off on one there because I live in the centre of a traffic jam...


I'm a motorcyclist, I love the UK's twisting country lanes. I drove quite a bit in BC and AB and you're right the roads are faster moving, less congestion and I didn't see any speed cameras. In parts of AB I didn't see any people for hours! But the roads are wide, long and straight, even in the mountains the A roads are fast flowing long radius bends and wide lanes because they're safer and more efficient at moving traffic. If you look at NA roads, they go around the mountains, European roads go over them for fun or modern ones go under them.
In summary, NA roads are for the most part... boring in comparison to European roads. It's the trade off of having a country designed for the car and having a country with historical roads laid by the Romans. When I emigrate I'm actually thinking I'll get an adventure bike because the twisty roads in the mountains are unpaved, full of holes are not suited to spirited driving/riding. They're purely for access. Also in AB the car enthusiast scene seems more lifted trucks than lowered cars.
I did notice in BC that the mid 20's kids of the obscenely rich like driving their Lamborghini's and Ferrari's around and launching between traffic lights with the tops down and music up so everyone stares at them and they feel important... but I suspect that's not what you're lucking for haha.
Move to Canada for a lot of things, but not because you want to have fun driving. Move to Austria or Andora for fun driving, they have some of the best roads in the world.

Originally Posted by Howefamily

I have read three pages of this thread now and this still stands out to me. Those lovely country lanes that you seem to enjoy tearing up and down include families, horseriders, tractors, farm animals, peace and quiet.
You have obviously never been on a horse feeling the real fear that comes as a car races at you or you hear it and you know full well it hasnt seen you yet and due to coming so fast it will have next to no chance and guess what, you have no where to go. And you dont even want to be riding on those country lanes but have no choice as Bridleways seem to require a road to get to it, for the most part.


Here in NS speeding fines are incredibly steep compared to the UK. Tractors are everywhere on our smaller roads as are deer and skunk that you really dont want to hit.
If you are looking for fun here it will be more of the off-road ATV variety. Big trucks are everywhere but its more of a size thing.
I am not sure you wouldnt be happier in Europe if speed is what you desire.

Originally Posted by christmasoompa

+1. Anybody stupid enough to actually do 60mph, or close to it, on a country lane is asking for trouble, even if that is officially the speed limit. Our road is 60mph but thankfully very few people actually do that, it's full of blind bends and there are often tractors and other farm vehicles, pick ups, or horses coming around them in the opposite direction.

I've seen a fair few near misses from people that have come racing around the corner far too fast and had to to do an emergency stop as a tractor is pulling out from the farm entrance next to ours in the middle of the road, if they were doing 60ph (or even 50mph) they'd have no chance. And as a horse rider (and the mother of a 12 year old horse rider that now goes off hacking with her friends) those stupid people scare the life out of me.

Originally Posted by Atlantic Xpat

This.

For me, the petrolhead opportunities that I enjoy here are around offroading on ATV/UTV's. I have access to 000's kms of trails & logging roads pretty much from my door. So that's something we like to do as a family.

But a reason to emigrate? Not so much...

Originally Posted by R I C H

I've been stopped 4 times in 12 years here for speeding, the worst offence being caught doing 98 in a 60 zone. I've never been given a ticket or fine. I don't think enforcement by a cop is any different here. If you speed in heavy traffic/urban areas/poor weather etc the likelihood of a ticket is high. Choose somewhere less populated/light or no traffic and good visibility, then cops in my experience are lenient.

Originally Posted by this_

I guess that is something you like, now if I went and made a charity to stop you from doing that just because I don't like the noise you made or for whatever reason I could think of, would you be happy to live there?

Originally Posted by Atlantic Xpat

Are you 17? The tone of your arguments is that of a teenager.

If some organisation campaigned to restrict ATV/UTV use, it wouldn't affect my happiness that I live where I do, mainly because life isn't as one dimensional for me as it appears to be for you.

Originally Posted by this_

So its not that as bad in the UK? Does an average speed camera on an empty motorway at 1 am at night or 5 am early morning make sense? This is what is happening here.

QUOTE]

Yes of course, wonderful generator of revenue. Its also the law, regardless of the time and whether or not it suits you.

Originally Posted by Howefamily

And on that note, a difference between the UK and Canada is that, in the former, roundabouts are the norm and, in the latter, traffic lights. At night one sits at a red light wondering when the tumbleweed might tumble.

Originally Posted by Atlantic Xpat

Are you 17? The tone of your arguments is that of a teenager.

Originally Posted by Howefamily

And on that note, a difference between the UK and Canada is that, in the former, roundabouts are the norm and, in the latter, traffic lights. At night one sits at a red light wondering when the tumbleweed might tumble.

Originally Posted by Howefamily

And on that note, a difference between the UK and Canada is that, in the former, roundabouts are the norm and, in the latter, traffic lights. At night one sits at a red light wondering when the tumbleweed might tumble.

Originally Posted by dbd33

And the radio is rubbish.

Originally Posted by dbd33

And the radio is rubbish.