OK, so I am with you in this. I was a bit oversold on how dirty the NYC subway was before I visited. It certainly isn't super clean though. Toronto stations are sometimes ratty and not up to new Euro or Japan standards, but the subway in NYC was just more... Busted/dilapidated?
Markham and Scarbs are kinda their own thing. Scarborough is now integrated into Toronto proper, but like where I live, the core is somewhat far. Transit doesn't serve the suburbs well, surprise surprise. Sprawl, once again.
Hit up downtown next time. It's like New York... But without all the stuff.
Montreal has pretty good coverage for the population; just the cars with rubber wheels are a bit herky jerky. There's s shit subway line in Scarborough that runs on it's own rolling stock with smaller cars, that reminds me of the Montreal metro, without rubber tires.
Good times.
TTC shuts down every night from about 2 AM (before last call, which is a problem) to 6 AM. Intermittent late night service was great in NYC. I loved being able to hop on the MTA at all hours. Grass is greener.
Yeah slight correction, the 407 is one of very few toll-roads in Ontario, so unlike many states in the US, we are not culturally acclimated to a toll-road. No one uses it. The 401 is the main highway that is constantly jammed. The 407 was built North of the 401 to relieve congestion, then sold by the right-wing government of the day to balance the budget. So it has failed.
The best time to plant a tree was 40 years ago.