While the city of Markham has certainly grown to be much more than a bedroom community for those who work in Toronto, there are still thousands of people who need to make some sort of commute every day. These are people who need to make it to their job at a downtown commercial mortgage company and people who need to get their kids to school and run some errands. Luckily, there are lots of different options for commuters in Markham.
The most popular way to get in and around the city is still by car. The 404 will take you out of Markham and in to Toronto, as will the 407 toll highway. The 404 connects to the Don Valley Parkway and will take you along the Don Valley River right down to the Gardiner. The 407 will not take you directly into downtown Toronto. It circles around the city and goes through Mississauga and Oakville. If you were delivering explosion proof enclosures for work, for example, to another company to the west of Toronto, this might be the fastest route.
Ideally, with limited traffic, it would take a car about twenty minutes to get into the core of Toronto. If you're traveling during rush hour, maybe to head to an executive recruitment firm than you will want to leave some extra time for getting around. The 404 is one of the busiest highways during peak hours. Getting around downtown Markham is relatively easy throughout the day in terms of traffic.
Another option for those that need to leave Markham to get to work or school is the GO Transit system. There is a train line that goes through Markham, with three stops in the city - Unionville, Centennial, and Markham. The train then continues north to Stouffville. Towards Toronto, the train will take you all the way to Union Station where you could transfer to the subway or to Toronto taxis. GO buses go along a similar path with more frequent stops.
Another public transit option in Markham is the York Region Transit/VIVA system. VIVA is a rapid transit system with five different lines that run between Toronto subway stations and popular transit terminals throughout York Region. These lines make it much easier to get between Markham, Richmond Hill, Aurora, Newmarket, and Vaughn. The YRT bus system also runs through all of these different towns.
If you're traveling downtown to see a show or are headed to a conference on airport WiFi than you can check out the various transit websites to create a trip planner. This will map out the fastest route to get you from home to where you're going, whether you're using the GO system or traveling by subway.
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