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DRIVING INTO VANCOUVER IS A NIGHTMARE! — No Highways, Gridlock & Million-Dollar shacks!

373 views · Published 21 April 2017 · 18:19 · Indexed 12 November 2026

Channel: Mike Martins · 2017 · Travel & Events

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"I think the city was only designed for 800,000 people because of the narrow streets."
— Mike Martins

Hey YouTubers, Mike Martins here from the Mike Martins Channel!
Today I'm taking you guys on a drive through Vancouver, British Columbia, showing you firsthand what it's like trying to get into the downtown core of one of Canada's most expensive cities.
We're coming in from the First Avenue exit, heading toward downtown Vancouver, and there's something I've been talking about for years: Vancouver has no major freeway running directly into its downtown core!
You've got narrow streets, traffic lights, delivery trucks, drivers making unexpected turns, and traffic that seems to crawl along no matter what time of day you're driving.
I remember getting called to my store at three in the morning because the alarm went off, and even at that hour, there was traffic!
And while we're crawling through the streets, take a look at the housing market around us.
We're passing older, smaller homes that are being advertised for $1.5 million or more. Some of these properties are tiny compared with what my family and I have been able to purchase outside Vancouver.
This is exactly why I started my Living the Dream series. I left the expensive city lifestyle behind and moved to Merritt, British Columbia, where I could afford a proper family home, have space for my children, and enjoy a different quality of life.
What We Cover in Today's Drive
- Vancouver's lack of major highways directly into downtown
- First Avenue, Commercial Drive, Clark Street and Terminal Avenue
- Traffic congestion and narrow residential streets
- Gasoline prices approaching $1.40 per litre in Vancouver compared with approximately $1.18 in Merritt
- Small Vancouver homes selling for $1.5 million and more
- Expensive townhouse rentals
- Vancouver's growing storage industry as residents downsize
- People reportedly bidding on storage lockers
- A drive past Science World, Rogers Arena and Chinatown
- Memories of our former homes in downtown Vancouver
- Returning to the neighbourhood where my board game store operated
- Dangerous turns, pedestrians, cyclists and driving frustrations
- Why I believe Vancouver's infrastructure is struggling with population growth
One thing that really stands out to me is the number of homes for sale. Everywhere I look, I'm seeing more properties coming onto the market.
And I'm asking the same question I've been asking in my housing crisis videos: How long can these prices continue when ordinary working families are being priced out?
Another interesting observation is the storage business. I'm hearing that people are downsizing their homes but still need somewhere to keep their belongings. When people are reportedly bidding on storage lockers, you've got to wonder what's happening to affordability.
This drive also brings back memories. We're passing buildings where my wife and I once lived, including a place where she was pregnant with Antonio. We're also heading toward my old board game store.
Vancouver is a beautiful city, but beauty doesn't solve the problems of congestion, housing affordability and the cost of everyday living.
I want to hear from you guys. Are Vancouver's roads keeping up with its population? Are you spending more time commuting than you did five or ten years ago? And would you consider leaving the city for a smaller community?
Comment below! Big hugs to everyone watching, and thanks for supporting the Mike Martins Channel.

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