Toronto among most congested cities in North America: New traffic index

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(Aanchal Nigam / Red Maple)

Toronto is ranked among the worst cities for traffic in North America, according to new traffic data released by navigation and location technology company TomTom.

Surpassing New York and Mexico, traffic in Toronto is the third most congested city in the region. 

The annual traffic index, published on Thursday, revealed London and Dublin are the top two in the list of cities with crowded roads.

The report indicates that the average time for a 10-kilometre commute in Toronto is now 29 minutes, a 50-second increase from the previous year. This duration is slightly less than that in Dublin, where commuters spend 29 minutes and 30 seconds to cover the same distance. London, which the report highlights as having the world's most congested traffic, sees a 37-minute, 20-second travel time for the same distance.

In 2023, Toronto residents lost an average of 98 hours to rush-hour traffic, the report notes. This contrasts with 158 hours for Dublin commuters and 148 hours for those in London. The index, developed using data from over 600 million in-car navigation systems and smartphones, provides these insights.

For Toronto commuters, the most challenging day was November 30, with an average travel time of 33 minutes for a 10-kilometre trip. The report identifies Wednesday evenings, between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m., as the worst time to drive in the city, with a typical 10-kilometre journey taking 37 minutes and 50 seconds.

Compared to other North American cities, including New York, Toronto's traffic is more congested. In New York, a 10-kilometre trip takes 24 minutes and 50 seconds, five minutes less than in Toronto.

Toronto's traffic situation is also more severe than other major Canadian cities, as per the data from TomTom. Vancouver, ranking 32nd globally, has an average travel time of 23 minutes and 10 seconds for 10 kilometres. Montreal, ranked 103rd, boasts the best commute times among major Canadian cities, with a 10-kilometre trip taking about 19 minutes on average.