Edmonton and Calgary are among the few metropolitan areas in the developed world that are not connected to comprehensive motorway systems.
Here is much more, on highways in Canada or rather the relative lack thereof. I am not convinced by his argument that a "bigger and better" highway system is what Canada needs, but I found this interesting reading nonetheless, mostly because it shows how few highways Canada has.
This is largely because the Canadian economy is largely focussed on trade with the US. It’s worth keeping in mind that the 401 through Ontario is the busiest highway in North-America.
Interesting… Keep in mind that the highway that connects Edmonton/Calgary to points east and west is the Trans Canada Highway, and while that is only 2 lanes in many places, when you consider the population density and distances covered it is all the highway that is needed in those places most of the time. Distribution in the US and Europe is akin to casting a net – density in all directions. In Canada, the analogy would be akin to casting a single fishing line – a loooong line – over 5000 miles. The majority of the population is concentrated along the southern border and to put four-lane highways when there is almost no-one to pass would be a real waste of money. To compensate, there are passing lanes at regular intervals. Now, the question of how aged these highways are and what could be done in a refit/upgrade is worth discussing, but when people discuss the taxes paid by most Canadians, they don’t seem to consider how we have first-world infrastructure with a small population spread out over vast spaces. The cost has to be borne somewhere. To compare our situation with the US or Europe is very much apples and oranges and this is totally lost in most discussions.
The United States is two-dimensional and needs an extensive grid of interstate highways. Canada is mostly one-dimensional: the overwhelming majority of Canadians live within a hundred miles of the US border. Edmonton is one of the rare large Canadian cities that is relatively far from that border.
A small coincidence, I was just discussing and comparing the main highway systems in Australia and Canada over a cup of coffee in Brisbane. While Canada’s Trans Canada operates East to West basically just north of the US border, the Australian equivalent circumnavigates their country. Of course, Rick Mercer has the best commentary on Canada’s highway system when he received congratulations from Harvard faculty and students on “Canada’s first paved highway”.
Most of those routes have been subject to pretty steady improvements over the past 20 years. Certainly driving from Winnipeg to Toronto is faster then it was 20 years ago. That said, there are a lot of places it would really be quite expensive to build a proper highway – and for a relatively small payoff. It’s a long way, through very sparsely populated areas, and the major urban centers at both ends are much more easily connected to the US Interstate system. Winnipeg to Calgary is a much easier build out because of geography – but there the map in the article is misleading. A lot of that highway is already up to the standard he suggests.
I think most people miss out on the key point that the lack of highways is for one reason only: It’s a reeeeaaaaaally long way between major cities. To compare this to the autobahn is ridiculous. You can get from Frankfurt to Berlin in an afternoon, not because it’s a fast highway, but because they’re only 500km apart. As a bonus, you hit several major metropolitan areas on the way. We’ve got something like that too, Toronto to Montreal (between which there is a very good highway). But even on that stretch between two “neighbouring” cities, there are almost no other major population centres along the way. Toronto to it’s nearest Western neighbour, Winnipeg, is just insane, it’s something like 24 hrs of driving. A quick check of google maps shows that it only takes 16 hrs to drive through almost every major city in Germany.
The German public uses their highways, because it’s reasonable to go from city to city by car. In Canada it’s just plain impossible to do regularly, so most of the, albeit narrow, roads across the country are left to truckers and college road trips.
Hmmmm. I drove between Edmonton and Calgary dozens of times when I lived in Edmonton. I also drove from Calgary to Vancouver (the Coquihalla is beautiful!). I wonder what I was on at the time if it wasn’t a motorway. Or I would take the Yellowhead out to Jasper, and then drop down to Banff through Jasper and Banff National Parks and pick up the highway to Vancouver there. I did that too. Awesome views. I could not for the life of me tell you what I was driving on if it was not a motorway.
I think most people miss out on the key point that the lack of highways is for one reason only: It’s a reeeeaaaaaally long way between major cities.
That would be true for Australia also — most of the population is concentrated in five or six metro areas on different parts of the coast. How is the highway system in Australia compared to Canada?
Alberta’s relative isolation in North America has directed its growth in many ways, though some of it is coincidence. Most of Alberta’s exports are more efficiently transported by pipeline (oil & natural gas) or train (beef, grain) rather than by truck. Road connections were therefore a less important factor in the success of its overall economic growth. Alberta is a young province, and consequently both Calgary and Edmonton are both young cities, having only recently hit population and wealth levels that would truly need a strong highway system. Flying always been the preferable way for travel. Calgary’s air passenger traffic is higher than Montreal’s, despite having 1/3 the population. If you combined Calgary & Edmonton’s air passenger traffic, it would be comparable to San Francisco’s, despite the combined cities having a population approximately half that of San Fran’s.
That said, Edmonton & Calgary are connected by a 4 lane divided highway with a ~70mph speed limit. Calgary will soon open the first section of its highway grade ring road. Edmonton’s ring road is currently being upgraded to highway standards throughout. There is also an upgrade now underway of the Trans-Canada near the Alberta/ B.C border to 4-lane divided highway, which will be much appreciated for thus of us who have gotten stuck behind a truck or RV.
Bartman says “Highway 2 … still has lots of at-grade intersections outside of Edmonton, Red Deer and Calgary.”
The are absolutely NO at-grade intersections in between Edmonton and Calgary on Highway 2 (i.e. once you get outside of Edmonton). Thus there are no intersection traffic controls anywhere on this stretch of highway, not at Red Dear and not anywhere else. The highway is four lanes and 110 km/hr and I have no idea what Bartman is talking about.
Well, we’re probably not calling Russia “developed” but we might note that there is no (yes, that is as in none) paved road across the country.
Canada needs 3-lane freeways and higher speed limits. The road system itself is fine, it just needs to be brought into the 21st Century.
It’s been beat up already, but I wanted to chime in too. The authors seem to propose a solution without identifying a problem. The reason there is no national “motorway” is obvious — it is not necessary. The question should be whether Canada’s highway system is adequate, not whether it has this particular form or institution of road transportation. It’s like asking me why I drive a Honda instead of a dump truck. I would like the authors to stick around Parliament on the day government tables a bill to spend 35 billion dollars on a 4 lane highway stretching 5000 miles.
Perhaps the authors should drive from, say, Toronto to Winnipeg to evaluate whether the existing highway system is adequate. It’s a drive probably only 5% of the population would ever do, and then only at most a few times in their lives. And as others have said, most trade runs north-south, not east-west. The system has evolved somewhat organically on that basis.
It’s hard to see that there would be any economic benefit in undertaking the massive and expensive upgrades the authors seem to suggest.
Bartboy you said that Highway 2 “has lots of at-grade intersections” leaving the reader with something very much other than the impression that there are a few farm roads “crossing” the highway without controlled intersections. There is a definitional difference between motorway and highway but you like the original post were giving readers who do not care about such definitional banalities the impression of genuine under development in the road system between these two cities when in reality it is absurd to suggest that that stretch of road is badly under developed. Anything you don’t understand!?
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