Race car driver forced to bike to Honda Indy conference due to standstill Toronto traffic

For Toronto residents, the city's constant traffic is unfortunately just one of the drawbacks of living in Canada's most populated city — but thanks to recent road closures and construction, the city's gridlock is now being noticed by international travellers and even celebrities. 

On Thursday, Australian race car driver Lochie Hughes revealed that he almost missed the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy press conference at the Exhibition Grounds due to the city's gridlock. 

"I am just super happy to be here in Toronto. I got stuck in traffic as well so I actually rented a bike to get here on time and then ran the rest of the way," Hughes, who competes in the USF Pro 2000 series, told reporters.

"It is cool to just be outside along the water there. It reminds me a little bit of back home in Australia, people outdoors playing tennis."

As part of the annual car race, westbound lanes of Lake Shore Boulevard West are closed from Strachan Avenue to British Columbia Drive until 11 p.m. on Sunday, meaning motorists in the area are being forced to find alternative routes in the meantime. 

The Honda Indy returns to Toronto this weekend. Here's the schedule and road closures you need to know about (hint: Lakeshore will be closing) #Toronto #IndyTO https://t.co/gN5djIpRBw

— blogTO (@blogTO) July 16, 2024

Throughout the weekend, nine races will be held at the Exhibition Grounds before the main event — the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy, which is taking place at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, July 21.

Unfortunately, Hughes isn't the only celebrity who's taken notice of Toronto's aggravating traffic recently.

Last month, former One Direction member Niall Horan was forced to walk to his own concert at Scotiabank Arena due to standstill traffic in the area. 

Toronto traffic was so bad over the weekend that Niall Horan had to walk to his own concert https://t.co/qtGwo6svpL

— blogTO (@blogTO) July 2, 2024

"In all the years I've been playing shows, I don't think I've ever walked into a venue," Horan said in a video uploaded to Instagram. 

Even Hollywood A-lister Tom Cruise has criticized the city's traffic. In an interview with ETalk last July, the Mission: Impossible actor asked, "What's up with the traffic in Toronto? Have they figured this out?" 

According to technology company TomTom's annual traffic index released in January, Toronto ranks #3 on the list of the most congested cities in the world, with commuters taking an average of 29 minutes to complete a 10-kilometre trip.