Re: Moving to Toronto
 

Apologies for questioning your sanity....however, not sure about your sanity in travelling from Alliston to McCowan/401. Have you tried it on a snowy day yet?

Re: Moving to Toronto
 

I drove up the Allen the other week, leaving Church and Gerrard at four on a Tuesday afternoon it took a little over an hour to the 401. Toronto's not a good place for getting in to or out of.

Re: Moving to Toronto
 

Yep many times, we have a good foot of snow up there!

Took me an extra 10-20 mins each time there was a storm coming down, remember folk up north are a bit more used to the snow and driving in it!! Its not the snow thats usually the issue but the idiots who dont know how to drive in it and theres a lot of them here in Scarberia at the 401/McCowan!

Besides when Im getting paid 46cents a km I think I can tolerate an hr commute each way especially when I dont hit much traffic, certainly by TO or Birmingham (where Im from) standards! I used to commute 25km each way to work in the UK and would take me at least 45-50 mins!

Re: Moving to Toronto
 

wow - record time!!!

Re: Moving to Toronto
 

Last week I tried, in vain, to get the Sat Nav on the rental car to direct me to a LCBO within reasonable distance of the 401/Victoria Parkway exit without taking the 401 itself. After 20 mins of aimless driving I admitted defeat and travelled west for 5k's or so. I was surprised (at 7pm) how quickly it was moving. I eventually found a LCBO but couldn't tell you where as I was merely following the map!

I also spent a lot of time on the 407 so am braced for a large bill to hit me when Avis figure out where I was. This paying for express road use is very quaint in an M6 toll sense of word.

Re: Moving to Toronto
 

I do remember reading that the busiest stretch of motorway (highway) in the world was the 401 between Toronto and Mississauga. Not sure if it's still the case- but definately 4 years ago. At it's busiest point 500,000 cars per day will pass through.

That is double the busiest stretch of the M25 which is the busiest motorway in Europe.

Re: Moving to Toronto
 

Just a shame the busiest highway question never comes up in pub quiz's!

Toronto - 4 Months In
 

I'm, er, sort of "fresh off the plane" from London and have been here about four months after spending the last 9 years in London (Shoreditch, Clerkenwell, Stoke Newington, Holland Park Borders (Shepherd's Bush!) and Islington).

Toronto simply can't touch London for nightlife and culture - although those two things exist here, they're on a different scale. BUT, I can have a few drinks in bars/pubs overe here and not have to worry about getting tw@tted by some lagered-up idot for looking in the general direction of his girlfriend. And having a British accent works in your favour if you're out and about in town - people actually talk to YOU here.

I do miss the (free) art galleries and the nightlife of places like Hoxton and Notting Hill. Spent my first two months here in "holiday mode" waiting for my Permanent Residency papers to get sorted.

Once I got my PR (4/5 months after applying for Family Class Sponsorship as the missus is Canadian and a hassle-free day trip across the border to the US), have been playing the job application game - which isn't great as they don't have the same sense of urgency as we do in the UK about filling jobs.

One reason for moving here was to try a different career path from what I used to do in the UK - thanks to the Credit Crunch, there isn't much call for financial journalists over here right now.

Have been messed around by a big recruitment agency here, so am going the coffee shop/retail job route for the time being as none of the financial companies are hiring right now - why join a bank when they might give you the elbow in six months' time?

Re: Toronto - 4 Months In
 

Where are you living over there Craig? How you finding the local Toronto beers?

There is certainly no urgency to full jobs over here in the UK at the mo. I got made redundant in September and have had 5 companies freeze recruitment and headcounts on me mid-process. It is a nightmare. I don't know anyone who feels secure in their job at the mo. Everyone is muddling through wondering who is next. Companies collapsing all over the place and no one really seems to be hiring.

I think the job market in Toronto is possibly more positive at the mo, but that is from a distance reading Canadian press websites. Two good freinds in Toronto were made redundant recently.

I back Canada to come out of any slowdown quite quickly because their government must have a huge surplus in oil revenues to spend from the Calgary Oil boom? Not like in the UK where they are trying to solve a debt problem by ludicrously borrowing more money.

Re: Moving to Toronto
 

James,

I have stayed in Brampton a few days because a cousin lives out there. He was suggesting that we live near him. There is no station there either.
I think I would die of boredom if I live in Brampton, and my Mum... she is already in depression, I can see her getting sectioned if she stayed there !

Anyone know Ealing well ? Can anyone suggest a suburb that remotely resembles Ealing in the GTA that has a station or subway or those GO trains, where you can get to downtown in 30-40 minutes ?

I travelled on the 401 highway, it was not so busy then, is that route equivalent to our North Circular road ?

Hi Craig
Are there they wery slow at processing job applications then
Have you tried workopolis.com ?
P.S
Shepherds Bush is so busy now with that new Westfield shopping complex, biggest in Europe apparently !

Re: Moving to Toronto
 

I suggest the Beach. At this point Novo tends to suggest Roncesvalles. The case for either of them is that they're interesting neighbourhoods in themselves, walking distance to, say, 100, restaurants and they're within 40 minutes of downtown. Both of them are "inner burbs" in the manner of Ealing. Do you want to keep a, or several, dogs?

You might define Toronto and 'burbs equivalent to London including Ealing as being Lake, DVP, 401, 427. Once you get beyond those highways you're pretty far out, more "beyond the M25" than "beyond the North Circular".

Re: Moving to Toronto
 

dbd33

Many thanks
Will google map the Beach and Roncesvalles
What's Etobicoke like to live ? My ex boss lives there
sorry whats DVP ?

Re: Moving to Toronto
 

Don Valley Parkway. Etobicoke runs north-south for a long way, south is edgy, moving into gentrification, north is dull; middle falls between but I don't think there's much in the way of transit in the middle.

You know you have to rent something downtown for a month and work it out from there, don't you?

Re: Moving to Toronto
 

Mikey B
he's a prof of biochemistry. He's a bit potty

Re: Moving to Toronto
 

I'm glad it's biochemistry and not spelling.

Roncesvalles has gone down a bit since I lived there in the 80's. Many restaurants have closed but several massage parlours have taken their place, if that sounds attractive.

Re: Moving to Toronto
 

Hi Maria_747

dbd33 makes an excellent point when he says look into the Beaches. Personally I have never spent much time there but several freinds who've lived there quite liked it.

I would hate living anywhere where I had to rely on "GO" transit. It is just not regular enough and you end up spending your life waiting for it. It's a shame the double decker trains they have are much more comfortable than trains in the UK.

Re: Moving to Toronto
 

I wish i travelled on the GO train just to get some expereince.
The problem is te relative drive you everrywhere
I drive in London occasionally as I have always used the tube or the bus to get to work. I am very much a commuter
I am not a great fan of driving. I heard its easier to drive in canada becuse of the roads are wider straighter and no roundabouts
what is the speed limit on the motorway ?

Cheers

Re: Moving to Toronto
 

The speed limit is 62mph but it's not really relevant in and around Toronto. I average 11mph on the highway and that's avoiding the 401 (the world's busiest highway, three times the traffic of the M25). I wouldn't say that driving in and around Toronto is much different from driving in and around London. If you do commute by car allow $15 a day for parking but, really, what are you looking for that you don't think you can find within the bounds of the TTC (Toronto's transit)?

Re: Moving to Toronto
 

If you don't have kids you can rent anywhere for a year and explore both cities. I thought that I will be looking for jobs in mississauga and we decided to settle there but with jobs you never know. I think sometimes that Toronto would be better.

I took GO Train several times to go to Toronto and I find it to be excellent. Lakeshore line has all day service and trains are very comfortable. It's also fun to hear their warnings about "danger from high speed trains" that actually go no faster than slow regional trains in Europe.

Driving for me was much worse than in Europe. People never keep the distance and change lanes just for fun without any warning. However I remember that fatal accidents statistics are the same as in Europe - so it's just a pressure on your nerves.

Re: Moving to Toronto
 

All my job applications were through job sites like Monster, Eluta, Globe & Mail's career section.

In the last two months, only got one response to the dozens of applications I sent out. One place I tried calling to follow up my application, the bloke asked; "Am I calling from Australia?"

Re: Moving to Toronto
 

Very interesting observation, do you mean that there is not much road curtesy in Toronto ? Despite all these road rage stories, I still think Britain has good road curtesy.

Re: Moving to Toronto
 

There is certainly no courtesy on the GTA highways in rush hour. I see fisticuffs most days.

Re: Moving to Toronto
 

OMG !! :confused::unsure:

You see I am quite a cautious driver !

I was thinking if I do move to Toronto to have refresher driving lessons to get used to the the way they drive there.

when is rush hour ? When I was supposed to go to Copps coliseum at 7:30 pm for that concert in October, the lady said to me if I was coming from Toronto, I would have to leave at 3 pm !
Even London traffic is not that bad !!

Re: Moving to Toronto
 

I would give this as a definition of multiculturalism: buy a heavy American car (rarely with real *snow* tires, it seems), go to 401 at peak hours so that it's as busy as European highways, and apply your driving habits from Eastern Europe or Asia. Guess the result.

Roads are surely wider here, but trucks are yet wider, so it doesn't matter.

Having spent two hours in the gigantic traffic jam yesterday on 401, I am thinking how is that that no one noticed this tremendous business opportunity to provide timely and detailed traffic information as you get from most of FM stations in Europe. Here, they don't know all that stuff like RDS-TA and TMC that exist for more than a decade in Europe.

Re: Moving to Toronto
 

That sounds about right. Downtown to Port Credit in the dead of night takes 20 minutes. Leaving between 3 and 6:30 it takes an hour or more. The rush hour in the morning is more compressed, if I leave Port Credit to be downtown at 7:00am I can do the trip in 45 minutes, if I leave between 7 and 8:30 it's over an hour. (All figures on average in good weather. Drizzle or accidents make it much longer). The stretch of highway from Port Credit through Oakville is as bad or worse.

Re: Moving to Toronto
 

I see fisticuffs most days.


Methinks, somewhat of an exaggeration.

Re: Moving to Toronto
 

You put "methinks" just because you know I think it a silly affectation, didn't you.

It's no exaggeration to say that every day of the week I see someone get out of a vehicle and gesture threateningly at a driver. Whether or not it comes to blows depends on the reaction of that driver. In the motorcycling season I see a rider kick a car several times a day, it's their way of showing that they exist. Sometimes the car owners get out and make something of it. Everyday when I'm downtown I see drivers spit at traffic light beggars, this often leads to physical conflict.

Even someone as mild mannered and conservative in driving habits as myself makes physical contact with other drivers every couple of months. It's a natural consequence of being crowded together in the ugliness of the GTA.

Re: Moving to Toronto
 

Now, methinks you really exaggerate. I have done extensive driving in the GTA for over 42 years and have never witnessed what you claim on an everyday basis. For me to state that what you describe never happens would be naive and untrue but your obvious dislike (make that hatred) of the GTA is rendering you delusional.

Re: Moving to Toronto
 

A recent example. Last week I wanted to turn from Jarvis Street right on to the Gardiner ramp but the traffic was at a halt. I walked up to see what the problem was and found that some fellow had driven his Nissan Ennui into another's Honda Drearyness. They were fretting over scratches on the bumper. I pointed out that their collision was not a matter of interest to the cars backed up behind them and suggested that they take their problems elsewhere. The English speaking one demurred. I put my case more forcefully pointing out that neither of the vehicles was of great value to the world and that, as Asians, the two drivers were fated to bang them into objects; one more or less shouldn't really matter. The English speaking one raised his fist, as people are prone to do in traffic jams. By now we'd been joined by a crowd of disgruntled motorists and some scuffling ensued. Not a big deal but an irksome delay and typical of my commute.

Re: Moving to Toronto
 

I don't hate the GTA. I think the suburbs are a godforsaken wasteland but I rather like parts of Toronto proper.

Most punch ups I see are along the 410, I think that's because the population in the northwest, Italian and Indian, tends to volatility and because the traffic is so slow there that one can get out, throw a tantrum, and get back in without losing any time.

I'll tell you what, I'll carry a camera around for a week or so and try for some pictures. Can't promise, last time I did this some of the street bums downtown threw bottles at me, but I should be able to get a few.

Re: Moving to Toronto
 

From your last two posts it strikes me that you're both snobbish and racist.

Re: Moving to Toronto
 

Youthinks?

Re: Moving to Toronto
 

It's so easy to become one in GTA. It's unfortunate that driving habits are so bad in the countries where visible minorities are coming from, and people don't want to learn being moderate. So, if you see road rage or simply stupid behavior, most likely it's someone from sunny countries. I believe, Italy and maybe Southern France should be included but I haven't seen a lot of those folks here.

Re: Moving to Toronto
 

It's so easy to become one in GTA.

Decent minded people do not have lessers or dislike others because of skin colour or culture. If one follows one or both of these practices then you are a festering pimple on the buttocks of society.

Re: Moving to Toronto
 

That was a genuine laugh out loud moment, I'll have some of whatever you are smoking.

Re: Moving to Toronto
 

Methinks, it's not that he's smoking, it's that he has problems with his codpiece.

Re: Moving to Toronto
 

Can I get away with it if I put 'Just passed' on the car ?
I did that the first 2 years i passed my test. Every time (not often thank God)
I did something which irritated the other driver 'I would say sorry I only passed my test last week' ! They were very nice and sympthetic after that. ;)

You guys are scaring about driving in Toronto ?
I was told one needs to have a car in Canada like USA, otherwise you are stuck !

Re: Moving to Toronto
 

Many people who live in Toronto proper manage very well without a car. If one lives in the surrounding/adjoining towns it would be much more difficult to do so. As previously pointed out public transit outside of Toronto is quite poor.

Re: Moving to Toronto
 

I know many people in Toronto who don't have a car, they live within the city and, when they need a car, rent one or get one from a car sharing service. I know several people who don't have a license to drive a car, again it's a viable arrangement so long as you live within the city (as defined by the subway and streetcars) and don't care for the outdoors. I think it'd be much more limiting than life in the UK without a car but, if you're purely a work and TV kind of person, it would be ok.

There's no equivalent of L plates and so no equivalent of "Just Passed".

Re: Moving to Toronto
 

or Niagara Falls, possibly even Buffalo in the US if the traffic is light.

It's funny the first time you hear it. I only ever hear it called that on here, and sometimes in the newspapers.

Scarborough.

Maybe we could start a petition to rename Alliston? I have a couple of suggestions ;) Only kidding Mikey.