Daily Commute: Mississauga Guelph

March 3, 2009 4:01 PM

Daily Commute: Mississauga <> Guelph. What will the traffic conditions be like on the 401 west (in the morning) and on the 401 east (in the evening)?

I am considering commuting daily(weekdays) from Mississauga to Guelph and so am wondering about the traffic conditions on the 401. Assume I start work ~ 8am (I must be at my desk by 8am) and will end around 4 or 5.

I am just wondering about summer conditions (may through September)

posted by FusiveResonance to travel & transportation (6 comments total)

Well, you'll be going against traffic, so that's good. I make pretty much the opposite commute and I'm always jealous of the people going the other way. Many more people do the commute from the West (Guelph, Cambridge, etc) to Toronto than vice versa. Even more so since you're starting earlier, I think you'll be fine in the mornings, at night will be busier. It takes me about 50 minutes to get from Kitchener to Trafalgar Rd @ the 401 at around 9am-ish, if that helps at all.
posted by heavenstobetsy at 4:51 PM on March 3

I used to sessional at both UTM and Guelph and would make the loooong commute from Seaton Village in TO to UTM and thence to Guelph and home- the portion from 'Sauga to Guelph was by far the least stressful of all of them. Piece of cake.
posted by ethnomethodologist at 5:17 PM on March 3

It isn't too bad but if there is an accident (like today!) the sideroads (especially Steeles) get clogged fast. Learn your alternate routes (I find #7 too busy but others like it). The traffic is definitely lighter in summer and at least you won't be driving with the morning sun/setting sun in your eyes.
posted by saucysault at 5:54 PM on March 3

If possible can you also post trip duration? Google maps says 1 hr.

ethnomethodologist how long would you say the ride from sauga to guelph is.
posted by FusiveResonance at 6:05 PM on March 3

401 in the mornings are not too bad, west could be bad, though before the 410 / up to the airport they are usually ok in the afternoons. (I didn't regularly commute this way, but it was an occasional route).
posted by defcom1 at 6:13 PM on March 3

Trip duration depends on how fast you're willing to drive. I don't do the Guelph part, but I travel from Toronto to Waterloo pretty regularly, and I can get from Mississauga to the Highway 6 north exit in about 30 minutes (sometimes faster) when there isn't a lot of traffic in the Mississauga region. YMMV, especially depending on how fast a driver you are on an open highway. I'm not sure how long the trip up from Highway 6 is, and it definitely won't be as open/fast as the 401. You may encounter some clogging there as commuters head into Guelph. I think that if you need to be at your desk by 8am, your morning commute will be pretty painless.

In the evening, by 6pm when you're going to be getting back to Toronto, you may encounter some traffic on either end of your trip. There may be some congestion getting out of Guelph, and depending on where in Mississauga you're heading, you'll almost certainly face traffic there. There's usually congestion from at least Mississauga Rd through to Mavis or Dixie, and then again beyond that after the 427 joins the 401. There are often accidents and other frustrations that you'll have to face at the end of a long day. If you can afford it and it would be helpful, I can't recommend the 407 ETR enough. It's rarely congested, and if you get a transponder account, it doesn't end up costing too much. Something to think about, at least.

All things considered, you can just rest assured that most days, this trip will at least be pretty stress-free and definitely not the bumper to bumper stuff, at least while you're west of Winston Churchill Blvd.

I'd say if you left yourself an hour on either end for commuting, you'd be more than fine. So your door-to-door day would be 7am (plus getting ready time) to 6pm. Does that sound like something you can handle?
posted by dnesan at 8:25 PM on March 3