Tag Archives: Driving

I’d Like to Teach the World to Merge (and other such highway driving advice)

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Merging

I once read that the two least liked manoeuvres in driving are left turns and merging into traffic.

Left turns, I agree, makes sense.  There’s inherent danger from exposing your broad side as you cut across the path of oncoming traffic.

Left turns also put you at the mercy of the volume of oncoming vehicles; it can be a long wait before you get a chance to make your move.  If you’re a somewhat timid driver, you may fail to take advantage of opportunities that seem iffy, thereby resulting in an intimidating amount of traffic backed up behind you.

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My Ode to Ontario’s Highway 401

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Sunset at a Highway 401 rest stop

Sunset at a Highway 401 rest stop

Unlike a lot Canadians, particularly those living in Ontario, I love that highway.  The thought of going for a drive upon it fills me with excitement.

Highway “four-oh-one”, as its most commonly referred to – or to use its official name, the Macdonald-Cartier Freeway – spans about 828 km across southern Ontario from the Quebec border in the east to Windsor in the west, and in parts is one of busiest highways in the world.

At its widest where it crosses the populous city of Toronto and its suburban hinterlands, the highway’s girth stretches to an imposing 16 lanes, which, according to Wikipedia, makes it one of the widest highways in the world.

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