GTA / Downtown Commuters

[tone.def]

I've lived downtown Toronto for quite awhile now and I've kind of out-grown it... The anthem of sirens is really wearing on me, condo life is crowded and actually, it's more for health reasons I want to leave... I can breathe everytime I leave for a few days, but as soon as I come back, I'm blowing brown out my nose for a day (yes, very gross.). I have one of those careers that I can really only work in Toronto in Ontario (TV and Film industry), so I'm going to have to be a commuter.

I'm not going Hamilton way (that would defeat my purpose), and I can't afford Mississauga, Oakville and Burlington. I'm not going Pickering/the Oshawa way because I just don't like it, so I've settled on north - Sutton/Keswick area or maybe Guelph/Fergus area.

Anyone commute from the north? Anyone have any commuting tricks that get them through? Is there a good time to leave? Do you prefer driving or Go Transit? Is there a cost saving to either? Is there a better area to look at for living?

Any help appreciated...

 

[dsneygirl]

CFTO did a test a couple of weeks ago about commuting and tested Whitby, Burlington and Newmarket. Newmarket had the longest drive

I drive from Burlington to Miss (before mat leave) and found it bearable. I also worked shift work so the latest I left home was 6:10am.
I also drive through Sutton and Keswick on the way to the cottage and I think one issue could be in a lot of places the highway is only 2 lanes which I could see getting quite congested since so many Toronto people are heading north.

 

[explorer1977]

My wife commutes from Guelph to the 427 and Burnamthorpe for work monday to friday. She does not love the drive by any means but she does not complain to much. She leaves a little after 6:30 cause she starts work at 8 but she is usually there by 7:30 or so. If she leaves any later it takes longer to get there due to traffic and leaving 15 minutes later puts at work at about 8:15 or later. Oh and she really hates the friday night drive home beacause it is always the worst. I will tell her about the thread and hopefully she posts.

 

[Donald - my hero]

My wife commutes from Guelph to the 427 and Burnamthorpe for work monday to friday. She does not love the drive by any means but she does not complain to much. She leaves a little after 6:30 cause she starts work at 8 but she is usually there by 7:30 or so. If she leaves any later it takes longer to get there due to traffic and leaving 15 minutes later puts at work at about 8:15 or later. Oh and she really hates the friday night drive home beacause it is always the worst. I will tell her about the thread and hopefully she posts.

Hey there! Hubby used to commute from GUELPH as well until he was laid off about 3 years ago. The worst thing was that to beat the true rush hour was that he had sun shining in his eyes on both directions. John agrees that leaving earlier is worth loosing the extra time in bed cause otherwise he spent almost double the saved time in a car on the 401.
Oh and BTW Guelph is really a nice place to live ... big city with a small town feel.

 

[pxlbarrel]

I work at Yonge and Finch so I don't commute downtown. However, if you live in the north as I do, you do have a few options on how to get downtown. You could drive to Finch and take the subway down. From Elgin Mills to Finch, the drive down depends on what time you're doing it. If you're driving at 7:30 am, you'll get to Finch around 8:15 am. If you're leaving at 7:15 am, you'll get to Finch around 7:45. Even 5 minutes makes a lot of difference when you're driving down to Finch. And if you don't want to drive at all, you can take the VIVA Buses to Finch.

Another option is to take a GO Train to Union Station. There's a station in Richmond Hill but I believe there's also a station in Newmarket and Aurora.

Third option is to drive downtown....and I don't recommend that one at all unless you're working very strange hours.

And by north...if you're talking about even more north than Newmarket...I can't help that much. .... Although, somebody at work lives in Bradford and they take the GO Bus down to Finch Subway. I don't know when she leaves home though. Keswick isn't too far from there, eh? LOL

 

[SaraMc]

We live in Oakville and if your looking for Condo's there are some right by the Go station that were not that Bad. DH commutes in from Oakville to Bay street every day. Oakville isnt all that expensive really, oh and when we moved here our insurance rates dropped on our car aswell.

 

[tone.def]

No more condos! I want a lawn, a driveway, a garage, a garden, a bar in my basement, a bar-b-q, living space larger than 850 square feet and for my bedroom in my home to not be directly next door to a couple's bedroom (okay, this isn't a dorm, don't want to hear it anymore)....

Thanks to those who sent me PM's... you really like your communities!

Is there a huge cost difference between Go Transit and driving? Do you save money taking Go Transit?

 

[tone.def]

If you're driving at 7:30 am, you'll get to Finch around 8:15 am. If you're leaving at 7:15 am, you'll get to Finch around 7:45. Even 5 minutes makes a lot of difference when you're driving down to Finch. And if you don't want to drive at all, you can take the VIVA Buses to Finch.

So no hitting snooze???

What's a VIVA bus?

 

[pxlbarrel]

So no hitting snooze???

What's a VIVA bus?

LOL

A VIVA bus is the York Region Transit buses that are blue in colour. The ones that go down Yonge Street (from Newmarket to Finch subway station) are the long ones (looks like a train...two buses connected by an accordion thingy in the middle...see how technically inclined I am? ) They have less stops than the regular York Region buses so theoretically get down Yonge Street faster. I've been on them and they're not bad and they do seem to get to Finch faster than the regular buses.

I think that if you work near Union Station, your best bet would be to get yourself to Newmarket from Keswick, park your car, and take a GO Train to Union. The one thing about moving north as opposed to, say, Guelph, is if that there are a variety of public transit methods to get home if something happens. If the GO Trains stop (like they did with the CN derailment a few months ago), you can still take a combination of subway and buses to Newmarket and drive home from there.

One thing about the traffic...in the summer and around Christmas, the traffic is substantially reduced and my 45 minute commute turns into a 25 minute commute. As much as the kids resent having to go back to school in September...the commuters hate it too because it means more cars on the street. LOL I went from getting in to work before 8 to being half an hour late after Labour Day.

Sooooo...the moral of the story? If you want the backyard, bbq and lawn you pay for it in time and stress....but it's so worth it. I lived at Yonge and Carlton for a year and when I moved up to Richmond Hill, it was a breath of fresh air. I loved downtown but...grass that's more than 1 square metre in size is so much better. Good luck in your quest!

 

[amw]

Is there a huge cost difference between Go Transit and driving? Do you save money taking Go Transit?

I live in Markham... not quite as North as you'd like. But, I can answer a few questions. You don't really save money travelling by GO, but you save sanity, and time by taking it downtown. Now, it helps if you work near Union station or you'll have to add additional TTC costs and travel time to your commute. Of course, I'm talking about taking the GO Train, not the bus service. I would not want to live where there's only bus service as it'll be expensive, and you'll still have highway woes.

Here's a map of GO service:
http://www.gotransit.com/publicroot/schedule/sysmap.htm
The map is not to scale. Don't let that sway your judgments... the Markham line is way spread out and is not that North of the city.

The most Northern Go Train service is to Bradford. Keswick is on the bus route -- you'd have to bus to Bradford and train it in. You can calculate fairs on the website as well. A train ride from Bradford to Union station, one-way is $7.65. That's not bad, because a fair from Markham downtown is $6.05 one-way.

I would say look at communities near a train station. Have you looked into Stouffville? It's a smaller-town feel, just 10-minutes North of Markham. Lots of new, starter homes being built. Easy commute, and on the train line.

Not trying to push it... prefer where I am in old Markham... just giving some more options We had originally looked Newmarket way, but found it was way too much a commute for personal trips.

 

[madonna31]

No more condos! I want a lawn, a driveway, a garage, a garden, a bar in my basement, a bar-b-q, living space larger than 850 square feet and for my bedroom in my home to not be directly next door to a couple's bedroom (okay, this isn't a dorm, don't want to hear it anymore)....

Tone.def - come move to Bolton!!!

 

[Fabooliss]

We live in Holland Landing, a nice little community just north of Newmarket. DH commutes to south Etobicoke every day, a little over an hour each way. I like that we have GO train access and GO bus as well. Non-rush hour it is about 40 minutes to Toronto. We keep thinking about moving, but to get closer at the same kind of money means Alliston area or as you said, Guelph area. Guelph is too far from the grandparents. Keep in mind when you are looking that the Alliston/King City etc. area is getting more and more built up and the commute is only going to get slower since there isn't a great big highway like the 400.

Not sure which part of TO you work in, but have you looked at Stouffville or Uxbridge, both really nice little towns.

 

[TreesyB]

I live in Markham too. and I just started a new job downtown after 3 years of being able to drive wherever I needed for work. So it takes a bit of getting use to.

For the morning rush: I've been driving to a TTC station and parking at a commuter parking and then taking the subway straight down. However, even in doing this, it takes me an hour and half to get to the downtown core. I prefer this just because I've been told the GO trains are not THE most reliable for time, and I don't like only having set times to take the train.

The evening rush: it only takes me an hour to get home.

The longest travel period (per distance) is driving to the TTC station in the morning.

And if you buy a metropass, there are some lots that are free to park at for metropass holders.

Good luck! I have noticed a big change in my breathing since I moved north (even to Markham you can see the difference).

 

[BitsnBearsMom]

Guelph is a great place to live but you have to live in the South end with the Explorer's and I - I finally found out where they live - yeah me!! I have a very nice building lot next to me still available And I promise no noise from our house - we've been married 15 yrs and have 2 boys

My dh used to commute to Martingrove and 27 (I think that's the right area) and while he didn't 'like' the drive it took him just about an hour unless he hit traffic. The earlier you leave the less time it takes. Have to agree with that Friday home commute though - always took him forever!

 

[Drivercan]

What about Etobicoke? Driving is not that bad but if you would prefer, you can still use the TTC.

 

[mkmommy]

I commuted for years from Guelph to downtown TO, on the Greyhound bus. They have great commuter service from Guelph, and it takes a little over an hour if you leave on the early bus,much better than driving. I worked off of University so it was a 2 minute walk once I got off the bus, and it stops several places up University avenue.

 

[tone.def]

Have to agree with that Friday home commute though - always took him forever!

I guess that would be a good excuse to stick around for after work drinks before sitting on a Go or Greyhound Bus!

 

[Donald - my hero]

Guelph is a great place to live but you have to live in the South end with the Explorer's and I - I finally found out where they live - yeah me!! I have a very nice building lot next to me still available And I promise no noise from our house - we've been married 15 yrs and have 2 boys

My dh used to commute to Martingrove and 27 (I think that's the right area) and while he didn't 'like' the drive it took him just about an hour unless he hit traffic. The earlier you leave the less time it takes. Have to agree with that Friday home commute though - always took him forever!

HEY there! I live in North - west end of Guelph. GREAT city isn't it? Just perfect size --- amazing how it still feels like a small town eh? My hubby commuted to just east of airport and he always planned 1 1/4 hours. He would go in early on Friday so he could leave early!

 

[Donald - my hero]

I commuted for years from Guelph to downtown TO, on the Greyhound bus. They have great commuter service from Guelph, and it takes a little over an hour if you leave on the early bus,much better than driving. I worked off of University so it was a 2 minute walk once I got off the bus, and it stops several places up University avenue.

Look 1 more DIS-er from Guelph I agree the bus is good if you are heading to the downtown core otherwise John was part of a car-pool.

OH and join I noticed you have only made a few posts!