11 Struggles Of Not Having A Car In Montreal
Everyone likes to complain about what a hassle it is to have a car in the city. From the gas prices, to the other drivers, to trying to find parking, it seems like quite a stressful situation. But as it so happens, not having a car in Montreal is no walk in the park either.
Here are 10 struggles of not having a car in Montreal:
1. You have to deal with the STM. All. The. Time.
The most obvious, and probably the worst, struggle is having to heavily rely on the STM, which as pretty much everyone in Montreal knows is anything but reliable.
2. Spontaneous road trips are not possible
There's really no such thing as a spontaneous road trip for you, since leaving the city on your own requires some advance planning.
3. You feel like you're constantly asking friends and/or parents for rides
Sure, they probably don't actually mind giving you rides, but you end up feeling pretty guilty about it after a while.
4. It limits where you can live
If you don't have a car you're pretty much limited to living near where you work or go to school, otherwise you better hope that there's a bus and/or metro station nearby.
5. Grocery shopping is a real b*tch
Unless you get everything delivered, which can take forever, you can't really do too much stocking up at the grocery store. Want to buy a 24 pack of beer? Good luck carrying that home.
6. You can't go to IKEA
Probably the most heartbreaking reality of not having a car in the city is the inability to make frequent trips to IKEA. Not only is getting there a struggle, but if you want to buy anything bigger than a vase, you're going to have to pay to have it delivered.
7. It's way harder to make plans
If you or your friends/family/significant other live remotely far apart, making plans can be a bit tricky. With no car you can't just swing by and pick them up - you need to compromise on how far each of you has to travel every time you hang out.
8. Anywhere off island is pretty much a no-go
Public transit to get off the island is equal parts limited and incredibly frustrating. It's better to just not try.
9. You don't get to have jam out sessions on your way to work
Maybe this is just me, but when you have a car that you take to work every morning, those brief moments of time where you can blast your tunes and pump yourself up for the day make everything so much better. People might give you some weird looks if you start to rock out too hard on the bus.
10. You have to navigate the unsalted sidewalks in the winter
Montreal does a decent job of clearing the roads, but they've yet to figure out how to properly clear and de-ice their sidewalks. Without a car you have the joy of skating your way through the city during the winter.
11. Renting a car is seriously expensive
Even with services like Car2Go, renting a car in Montreal, even for a short period of time, can get pretty pricey. Plus if you need an actual car (aka something that isn't a smart car) the prices skyrocket even more.
