Ontario police have just announced some of the traffic restrictions for the G20; as predicted, they add up to grim waits for those without motorcades, diplomatic plates and death wishes. At a press conference this morning, Sergeant Dave Woodford said that from June 24 to June 27, the 401, 427, Gardiner and DVP will have lane restrictions and “periodic full closures” causing “significant delays.”
The Globe expands:
From June 24 to June 26, most of the closures will affect traffic heading to the downtown core. On June 27, the last day of the summit, the restrictions will impact outbound motorists as world leaders depart the city.
Police said travellers heading to Toronto’s Pearson International Airport “can expect major delays” and motorists should give themselves extra time.
The punchline here is that the G8/G20 officials say that “the use of public transit is strongly reccomended [sic].” The Better Way is glitch-ridden at the best of times, so this is a bit like inviting people to commute in a Beckett play. Not to mention that TTC vehicles have to take the same route (427) to Pearson as everyone else and are subject to the same detours around the downtown security zone.
Officials did not mention what conditions would be like on the 400, but cottagers escaping to points north can likely expect everyone else to be doing exactly the same thing—plus, some attendees will be making their way from the G8 to the G20 along that route. Just be thankful the TTC doesn’t go to Bala.
• Toronto traffic chaos looms during G20 summit [Globe and Mail]
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