GETTING TO WATERLOO:

By Car:
From the US west:

1. If possible, avoid Detroit by taking Highway 69 across mid Michigan and crossing Port Huron to Sarnia (normally a quieter and quicker crossing). Then take Hwy 402 east, which joins Hwy 401 at London. Take Hwy 401 to Kitchener/Waterloo (K/W).

2. Exit 401 at Exit 278 - go North on Hwy 8. In 5 miles you come to an intersection with the ring road round K-W. Keep in the right lane and join the ring road. Then move to the left 2 lanes and continue north on Hwy 85 north. After 4 miles on the ring road you will come to Bridgeport, and after that University Ave. Take the second exit for University West (the first is University East). Follow University west (its slow with lots of traffic lights) for about 2 miles, passing the first University, called Wilfrid Laurier University. The first traffic light after Wilfrid Laurier is called Phillip Street (its on a curve). Turn right on Phillip and at the first lights turn left on Columbia St West (a cyclist should be able to remember that name). In about a mile, the University’s Ron Eydt village is on your left opposite Columbia Lake – it will be signposted. Total time from the US border to Waterloo – about 3 hours if the traffic is good.

From the US South- west: Cross the Governor’s Bridge, Detroit to Windsor, and take Hwy 401 to Kitchener-Waterloo. Then B as above. Total time from the US border to Waterloo – about 4 hours if the traffic is good.

From the US East and South: Cross Buffalo to Fort Erie and take the Queen Elizabeth Way (QEW), or Lewiston to Queenston (often a quieter crossing) and Hwy 405 to the QEW. Then take the QEW towards Toronto. At St Catharines you will cross the interesting high-level bridge over the Welland Canal. After another 30 minutes you will cross the Burlington Skyway, which is high-level bridge over Hamilton harbour. In 2 miles you come to a complicated junction (Exit 100). Take Hwy 403 West, towards Hamilton. As you head west get in the right lane and in 2 miles exit Hwy 6 towards Guelph. Hwy 6 is not an expressway. Go 20 miles north on Hwy 6 and you come to Hwy 401 – an expressway. Go west on 401 about 15 miles to Exit 278, and head North on Hwy 8. Then B as above. From the border to Waterloo about 2 hours.

From Northern New England: pick up the Trans-Canada Highway around Montreal and head west. This becomes Hwy 401 at the Ontario border. Continue west on Hwy 401 to Exit 278 for Kitchener/Waterloo. Then B as above. From Montreal to Waterloo about 7 hours if the traffic is good.

By Air.
Fly to Toronto Pearson Airport. If you want to take the minibus service and have a bicycle, call Red Car Airport Service in advance. I have spoken to the owner, Neil Wilson, and he has a Dodge Sprinter Van that can transport bicycles from the Airport to Waterloo. They have air-conditioned minivans shuttling back and forth 24 hours a day. You must book in advance Phone: 1-519-824-9344; fax 1-519-824-1710. E-mail rez@redcarservice.com and their web site is www.redcarservice.com.

If you want to cycle from Pearson Airport to Waterloo, it is about 80 miles, and the roads around the airport are not bicycle friendly. As far as I know, the roads out of the airport are all expressways on which bicycles are not permitted (the road engineers didn’t think of bicycles). Contact me gnorclif@yorku.ca for suggestions if you want to do this.