10 Toronto intersections with the most traffic congestion in 2022
Recently, Toronto was named the seventh-most congested city in the world, due to dozens of traffic-jammed intersections across the city.
The city’s ranking was included in a report by a traffic analytics company that found commuters lost an average of 118 hours travelling on Greater Toronto Area roads and highways in 2022, up by 59 per cent from 2021.
During peak commute periods, that average travel speeds in Toronto were 32 km/h in 2022, down from about 42 km/h in 2021 and about 50 km/h in 2019.
The report, published by INRIX this month, draws on four years of mobility and anonymized GPS probe data to identify traffic patterns in various cities across the world.
Off-peak travel speeds were more consistent over the years, with 61 km/h being the average speed in 2022 and 2019 and about 63 km/h in 2021.
But for those wondering which specific intersections have the worst congestion, the City of Toronto also tracks its own traffic data.
Using a formula known as the travel time index (TTI), city officials can determine exactly how congested each major intersection is during the a.m. and p.m. rush hours compared to their most uncongested state – the middle of the night.
Here is a list:
- Lake Shore Boulevard East & Lower Sherbourne Street
- Finch Avenue West & Norfinch Drive/Oakdale Road
- Finch Avenue West & 400 South Finch Westbound Ramp
- Finch Avenue West & 400 North Finch Eastbound Ramp
- Finch Avenue West & Signet Drive/Arrow Road
- Lawrence Avenue East & Scarborough Golf Club Road
- Lake Shore Boulevard East & Bay Street
- Steeles Avenue East & Pharmacy Avenue/ Esna Park Drive
- Islington Avenue & Finch Avenue West
- Lake Shore Boulevard East & Parliament Street
The intersection of Lake Shore Boulevard East and Lower Sherbourne Street had the highest TTI during the a.m. and mid-day peak periods, however it only came in third during the evening rush hour.
It was beaten out by the intersection of Lake Shore Boulevard East and Bay Street as well as Finch Avenue West and Signet Drive/Arrow Road.
“Our internal congestion data indicates that traffic volumes in the city have already returned to pre-pandemic levels, and each of these intersections has different factors that contribute to traffic congestion,” the city said in a statement.
“These areas may be affected by infrastructure designs that decrease road capacity or by issues related to municipal road work, construction and private development.”
The city also said that managing congestion throughout Toronto is one of city hall’s priorities, as travel demand rises with population growth.
“To address congestion, the City of Toronto has developed MoveTO, an action plan that aims to manage congestion and build a more resilient, modern and safe transportation system,” the city said.
The City of Toronto says the plan focuses on a number of key initiatives, including adding more “smart traffic signals,” which automatically adjust signal timing based on actual traffic demand, as well as “intelligent intersections,” which will improve safety for pedestrians and cyclists.
The city also says it plans on implementing Advanced Transit Signal Priority at certain intersections, which detects buses running behind schedule and extends green times when necessary.
City planners will have their work cut out for them if trends continue, as Toronto’s seventh-place ranking on INRIX’s 2022 report was up from 22nd place in 2021.
Robin Lindsey, an operations and logistics professor at the University of British Columbia, said factors such as speed limits and city size could affect how long a person spends in traffic.
While building more roads and highways could reduce traffic temporarily, Lindsey said, it won’t make a lasting difference. Lindsey pointed to induced demand, where supply — in this case roads or highways — will eventually generate more demand.
Lindsey said if cities such as Toronto want to combat traffic congestion, they must invest in public transit.
“Expanding public transit is a better option, but it’s quite expensive and the money is limited, particularly given that ridership is down, so less fare revenue.”
Lindsey said when cities neglect public transportation, people will continue to look at automobiles as an option for travel.
“You can get a downward spiral. As transit services aren’t so good, then people say ‘I don’t want to take transit’ or ‘What’s the alternative?’ Well, one is the car, it’s still the primary mode of transport in North America.”
Mayor John Tory pledged to add $53 million to the transit agency’s budget this year, and TTC fares will increase by 10 cent per ride.
Part of the article was reported by CTV News.
