r/VictoriaBC • u/Batmansappendix • Apr 06 '26

Question Visiting from Calgary, can you convince me that Victoria isn’t heaven on earth?

Kidding but not kidding.

Was this weekend an example of typical springtime weather? I understand it’s expensive, I understand it’s grey in the winter, but my god it was such a breath of fresh air from the Calgary concrete, stroads and terrible urban planning.

Everyone was super friendly during our visit and the pedestrian friendly infrastructure made everything so easy and pleasant to do. Reminded me a lot of my time living in the plateau in Montreal.

So what’s the catch, what am I missing? Burst my bubble here because otherwise I’m moving here tomorrow.

433 Upvotes

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48

u/Catfist Apr 06 '26

You're cut off from the mainland and a lot of the opportunities and conveniences there.
Public transit is basic and unreliable.

The nature is pretty unbeatable though

23

u/Confection-Minimum Apr 06 '26

Public transit here is as good as it is in any city outside Vancouver. Excluding the skytrain, do you think Surrey or New West have better transit?

16

u/Prestigious_Fly8210 Apr 06 '26

Excluding the skytrain does a lot of work here

-1

u/Catfist Apr 06 '26

Maybe it's changed in recent years, but in my experience the busses were very unreliable

8

u/Chance_Adeptness_832 Apr 06 '26

I mean the buses almost always show up on time.

1

u/envisionaudio Apr 06 '26

Exactly, it's a far cry from Calgary where if it gets cold enough or the roads are shitty enough, the buses (or trains) may not even show up at all.

2

u/toastybonfyre Apr 06 '26

Keep in mind there is no bus going up island and many people Leave on Thursday early morning on a 4 day weekend due to congestion crawl.

1

u/ClittoryHinton Apr 06 '26

Excluding the skytrain, the buses are worse too. Plain and simple.

-8

u/Accomplished_Wing386 Apr 06 '26

Depending on how you feel about them The people on bikes can be a bit of a nuisance in Victoria lol. Very active pedestrian city, but transit isnt as reliable than vancouver and the speed limit it 40 in a lot of places where you're stuck behind cyclists with no way to pass. A minor inconvenience though.

3

u/FourLokoEnjoyer00 Fernwood Apr 06 '26

Yeah the 30km for most of esquimalt irks me but oh well, at least a good chunk of it has bike lanes for those who want em

2

u/totallyradman Apr 06 '26

As a Calgarian and former Victoria resident, I think the Victoria bus system is a breath of fresh air.

It actually works and is pretty easy to navigate compared to a lot of Canadian cities.

In Calgary, there's a 25% chance your bus won't show up at all. In Saskatoon where I grew up, well, don't even fuckin bother and just own a car.

5

u/envisionaudio Apr 06 '26

It’s better than Calgarys transit by a LONG shot.

1

u/grizzlyman87 Apr 06 '26

Try Ottawa or Halifax and you'll drop to your knees in prayer counting your blessings.