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I've just moved to the Toronto GTA and will be working near the Scarborough Town Centre. If I live around Hwy 7 and 404 (more specifically Hwy 7 and Bayview), how bad is the commute going to be? The most direct route appears to be 404 then 401, but I'd like to avoid taking the highways if possible because I know they're parking lots during rush hours. Are there any local street options that would work? I'm thinking Leslie to John to 14th and down Mccowan. I like where I live but if the commute is not doable, I would have to look for a new place closer to work. I'll be working traditional hours ~ 9-5.
Anyone has experience commuting to the STC from that area and would be able to share? Thanks!
I don't have experience with that particular area (mostly the other side of the GTA) but I wouldn't be so sure taking arterial roads instead of highways is a good idea. Obviously you won't be going at free flowing speeds of 120km/h the whole way and there might be times when you're just crawling along, but there will also be times when you're going at 60-100km/h. That's faster than the arterials where the speed limit is 60km/h and people usually go at 70-80km/h, but with traffic lights its more like 40km/h. 40km/h assumes no congestion effects, in my part of the GTA (Trafalgar Rd) you can get backed up across traffic lights or have to wait 2-3 light cycles to get through an intersection, especially if you're trying to turn left.
However, even if it turns out the arterials take on average 40 min vs 35 min for the highways, there will probably be more variability for the highways, so it might range from 20-60min on highways but just 35-45min for arterials. With a little luck, the worst bottleneck from the 404 to the DVP won't be backed up to the part of the 404 you'll be taking, and you'll be going against peak direction on the 401.
Thank you for the replies. From my research, it looks like the congestion will be at the bottleneck from 404->401; otherwise, as mentioned by memph, going against flow does help.
I've started looking at apartments near the Scarborough town centre. I'm somewhat torn between choosing to live at a more desirable neighborhood (that's according to my own tastes, of course) and living close to work. It looks like I can shave 1-1.5 hours off commute each day (very enticing thought!), but I'll be living away from my network in a neighborhood with mostly just apartment buildings and a mall, and I seem to get the impression that there's a stigma of the location being a bit more "complex" with relatively higher crime. Is there real cause for concern?
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