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Despite having the excellent SkyTrain and a decent bus system, traffic in Vancouver proper is easily one of the worst I've ever driven on the West Coast and rivals LA despite a much smaller population. Something that can be driven in 15 minutes in Seattle proper at 6pm on a Saturday will take an hour in Vancouver. The surface arterials are especially maddening as the left lane is full of cars trying to make a left turn (and not succeeding) and the right lane is full of buses. This happens intersection after intersection. Literally there could be zero movement after two light cycles. All this idling is also terrible for the environment.
Why doesn't Vancouver do what Seattle does which is to ban left turns on major arterials (like Denny Way) and only allow left turns on certain intersections that are wide enough for left turn only lanes? With just that small traffic management change, I can blast through 5 kms of the busiest, most developed and densest parts of Seattle in less than 10 minutes on surface roads. Did the same thing this weekend in Vancouver and Granville, and it took 2 hours. Insane. Surely someone in the department of transportation knows this?
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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We haven't been there since 2019 & Covid, but used to drive up 2-3 times a year, and always stopped at Granville. Back then I do remember the traffic being worse than in Seattle on a Saturday. Of course, I thought that was partially due to people like us going up for a day or weekend from Washington. We see some B.C license plates on cars in Seattle but only during the summer, and not as many as the Washington plates we saw in Vancouver.
I live in Vancouver as you can see from my profile.
Left turn restrictions do exist, some 24 hours 7 days a week, some only during weekdays, and some just mornings and evenings on weekdays. I believe all major intersections downtown have restrictions.
Granville Street runs through residential neighbourhoods. Left turns are allowed to most side streets, but restricted at main intersections as mentioned above.
Granville Street is also the main road to the airport, a street filled with shops and services in spots, with the main one being right from the south of Granville Street Bridge up to 16th Ave. Very busy on weekends.
It also seems to be the street many coming in from the US use to get into Vancouver, probably because it's considered part of Highway 99 which takes tourists all the way to Whistler. Locals, unless they have a reason don't use Granville to come into the city from the border. However, I have and it's never taken 2 hours. I've always made it from YVR to downtown in usually 30 minutes. What point to point took you 2 hours?
Next time you drive in from the border, stay on Oak Street. Take that to 19 th Ave. Turn Left when you see this sign. It has a left turn signal.
Go up Wolf Ave, staying right. It changes names, but if you stay right, you're fine. Then you turn right here on Hemlock and just follow it down until you get to the Hemlock Street onramp to Granville Street Bridge.
That said, Vancouver can get very busy, and maybe someone who understands traffic flow in relation to how a city is laid out, can comment. I'm pretty sure the city is aware of how things are working or not working.
Despite having the excellent SkyTrain and a decent bus system, traffic in Vancouver proper is easily one of the worst I've ever driven on the West Coast and rivals LA despite a much smaller population.
Smaller population can be misleading though. Vancouver has a highly dense core and its urban area population is pretty dense. You could have a city with a metro area of 7 million like say Houston, but the density is low so you don't get that same 'crush' if you will as a city like Vancouver. So my point is, it isn't just about the total population but how densely that population is distributed.
This is pretty typical of the large Canadian cities - particularly the big 3 in Canada so it underscores why a good PT system works well for these vs some other more spaced out city/metro's.
Additionally, It is my experience that CAD cities have a much more organic residential/commercial DT/urban core vs typical American cities,whose cores are more commercially focused. People come in to work then leave at 5. this happens in Canada but not as much. A lot of people work and live in the city core.
Smaller population can be misleading though. Vancouver has a highly dense core and its urban area population is pretty dense. You could have a city with a metro area of 7 million like say Houston, but the density is low so you don't get that same 'crush' if you will as a city like Vancouver. So my point is, it isn't just about the total population but how densely that population is distributed.
This is pretty typical of the large Canadian cities - particularly the big 3 in Canada so it underscores why a good PT system works well for these vs some other more spaced out city/metro's.
Additionally, It is my experience that CAD cities have a much more organic residential/commercial DT/urban core vs typical American cities,whose cores are more commercially focused. People come in to work then leave at 5. this happens in Canada but not as much. A lot of people work and live in the city core.
That makes sense, but Seattle is changing. Much more residential being built in its downtown, but so far nothing like Vancouver.
Seattle does have residential neighbourhoods right next to downtown, within walking distance. What it also has, that Vancouver doesn't, is a freeway running North/South. Perhaps this takes a lot of people travelling in those directions off the surface roads?
I have driven in Vancouver, Seattle and LA many times over the years. I've heard this "Vancouver is worse than driving in LA " before. It started with a GPS companies flawed rankings a few years ago, and seems to have stuck. Trust me, driving in Vancouver is nothing like driving in LA.
I think, like any city, it really depends on the time of day, the day of the week, etc. For example IF the OP was driving on a Saturday at the time that our two stadiums which are right downtown, are having events...ya, traffic might be a nightmare.
Also locals learn what to avoid. Georgia Street heading to the Lions Gate Bridge can be a gamble at rush hours or summer weekends.
That makes sense, but Seattle is changing. Much more residential being built in its downtown, but so far nothing like Vancouver.
Seattle does have residential neighbourhoods right next to downtown, within walking distance. What it also has, that Vancouver doesn't, is a freeway running North/South. Perhaps this takes a lot of people travelling in those directions off the surface roads?
I have driven in Vancouver, Seattle and LA many times over the years. I've heard this "Vancouver is worse than driving in LA " before. It started with a GPS companies flawed rankings a few years ago, and seems to have stuck. Trust me, driving in Vancouver is nothing like driving in LA.
I think, like any city, it really depends on the time of day, the day of the week, etc. For example IF the OP was driving on a Saturday at the time that our two stadiums which are right downtown, are having events...ya, traffic might be a nightmare.
Also locals learn what to avoid. Georgia Street heading to the Lions Gate Bridge can be a gamble at rush hours or summer weekends.
Yeah Seattle may be an exception but as you said, it still doesn't have that organic connection between residential and commercial that the Big 3 CAD cities have. I Compare our top three to the top 27 American cities to make it a proportional comparison - US has 9X Canada's population 3 X 9 = 27 cities
The rest of what you wrote its your domain - I just wanted to point out that Vancouver is one of the densest cities in North America, so it is understandable that there is surface congestion. And again, dense cities always benefit from better PT than their more sparsely populated colleagues.
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I go up there from Seattle on weekdays. I think Monday and Tuesdays are not bad for traffic and that's when I like to go up there. The only thing that is bad is the big malls in Richmonds closes early on Monday and Tuesday I think or I could be wrong. I am too lazy to google it. I am talking about the regular mall in Richmond BC not the Asians ones. I am very jealous of the Asian malls up there, we have nothing like it in Seattle. Seattle is kind of ghetto feeling compared To world class Vancouver, even though we have so many rich people here. I am very surprised people in BC actually want to come down here. I have no idea why? Only thing I could think of is stuff is cheaper but you have to deal with being in Seattle. Yuck.
Back to topic.
Thursdays are the worse, a lot of people take Friday off and there are out and about doing wrapping up chores.
Don't know about weekend traffic in Vancouver really as I actually like to work every weekend.
I go up there from Seattle on weekdays. I think Monday and Tuesdays are not bad for traffic and that's when I like to go up there. The only thing that is bad is the big malls in Richmonds closes early on Monday and Tuesday I think or I could be wrong. I am too lazy to google it. I am talking about the regular mall in Richmond BC not the Asians ones. I am very jealous of the Asian malls up there, we have nothing like it in Seattle. Seattle is kind of ghetto feeling compared To world class Vancouver, even though we have so many rich people here. I am very surprised people in BC actually want to come down here. I have no idea why? Only thing I could think of is stuff is cheaper but you have to deal with being in Seattle. Yuck.
Back to topic.
Thursdays are the worse, a lot of people take Friday off and there are out and about doing wrapping up chores.
Don't know about weekend traffic in Vancouver really as I actually like to work every weekend.
Everyone will have their own reasons for visiting Seattle. Mine has never really been to shop. Although years ago, some things were cheaper. Today not so much. However for people who like to shop, just having different stores is enough.
When I was younger, we went to Seattle to go clubbing. Clubbing in a different city for a weekend was fun. Seattle felt foreign, yet comfortable, enough to be a good diversion.
We also went to events, like shows, or museums. King Tut wasn't coming to Vancouver, so a weekend in Seattle was definitely on the agenda.
So I think the reason we go to Seattle is close to, or the same, as the reasons people from Seattle visit Vancouver. Close for a quick trip, different enough to feel like you've gone somewhere
I was just up there and I absolutely disagree. Driving in Vancouver is a dream compared to Seattle. Seattle's traffic is only slightly better than the Bay Area's which is not saying much, and Seattle drivers are way too skittish/timid/indecisive to boot.
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- US has 9X Canada's population 3 X 9 = 27 cities
