toronto traffic

This is how many hours Toronto drivers lost in rush hour traffic last year

Toronto drivers who travelled to and from work during rush hour in 2019 lost a total of 142 hours, or almost six whole days, according to a new traffic report. 

The 2019 TomTom Traffic Index ranks urban congestion worldwide and provides access to updated information for 416 cities across 57 countries on six continents.

The latest index ranked Toronto as the second-most congested city in the country with Vancouver taking the top spot. Toronto also came in at number 80 in the worldwide ranking. 

According to the index, Toronto drivers could have knitted 36 hats during all those hours lost sitting in rush hour traffic. 

Motorists could have also listened to Imagine by John Lennon 2734 times, made 4113 pancakes, watched 126 episodes of Game of Thrones or planted 143 trees. 

The index indicates that Thursday between 5 and 6 p.m. is the worst time to travel on Toronto's roads and the best time to avoid altogether. 

"Travelling after 6 PM on Thursday could save you up to 5 hours per year (for a 30 minute commute)," the index states. 

It also notes that January 1 had the least traffic in 2019, while January 28 was the most congested day of the year. 

Overall, the index shows that the evening commute is actually worse than the morning commute in Toronto, with drivers losing 20 minutes for every 30-minute trip in the evening versus 17 minutes for every 30-minute morning trip. 

Toronto roads were 33 per cent congested overall in 2019, up 1 per cent from the previous year. 

Lead photo by

Paul Flynn


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