The Majority of Residents Say There is a Traffic and Congestion Crisis in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area.

Toronto, Ontario, July 15, 2024 – A new Ipsos poll conducted for the Toronto Region Board of Trade reveals that a significant majority (86%) of residents in Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA) agree (45% strongly, 41% somewhat) that there is a traffic and congestion crisis in the region. A similar majority believes that traffic and congestion negatively impacts the GTA economy (85%, including 42% strongly and 43% somewhat agreeing), pose serious problems for their households (63%, including 24% strongly and 38% somewhat agreeing), and often cause them to be late (58%, including 21% strongly and 37% somewhat agreeing).

GTHA residents attribute the cause of traffic and congestion to excessive construction or mismanagement thereof (68%), followed by an overabundance of cars and trucks on the road (57%).

Among those employed or studying, 42% report longer commutes compared to a year ago, 46% say commute times remain the same, and only 12% experience shorter commutes.

The greatest impact of traffic and congestion is extended and unpredictable journey times (61%). Other significant impacts include increased costs (45%), stress (40%), pollution (37%), and safety concerns (36%).

Due to traffic and congestion, half (53%) of residents have considered relocating outside the region. Additionally, 62% are reluctant to commute to work, and half (49%) accept traffic and congestion as a part of living in a large city like the GTA.

Residents are altering their behaviors due to traffic and congestion, often reconsidering trips for shopping (42%), entertainment (42%), dining out (38%), or visiting family and friends (31%).

Three-quarters (76%) of GTHA residents support 24-hour road and public transit construction to alleviate traffic and congestion. When asked about support in their local neighborhoods, responses were nearly identical. Other strategies garnering support include reducing on-street parking and opening additional lanes for traffic or public transit (62%). Half of the residents support restricting retail and restaurant deliveries to outside normal business hours (evenings and nighttime).

 

About the Study

A sample of 1,000 Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA) residents aged 18+ was interviewed online by Ipsos. Quotas and weighting were employed to ensure that the sample’s composition reflects that of the GTHA population according to census parameters. The precision of Ipsos online polls is measured using a credibility interval. In this case, the poll is accurate to within ± 3.8 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, had all GTHA residents aged 18+ been polled. The credibility interval will be wider among subsets of the population. All sample surveys and polls may be subject to other sources of error, including, but not limited to coverage error, and measurement error.

For more information on this release, please contact:
Martin Hrobsky
Senior Vice President, Public Affairs
+1 416 324-2900
[email protected]

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