Traffic congestion in Edmonton is worse than it is in Calgary, but not as bad as in Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa, at least according to a new TomTom study.
Edmonton’s congestion level ranked 115th in the world, sitting at 21 per cent extra travel time added because of traffic jams.
The most congested city in the world, according to TomTom, is Mexico City.
The Capital City’s morning rush hour sees an estimated 30 per cent traffic congestion – that’s the extra time it takes to travel. During evening peak hours, Edmonton drivers have to sit through an extra 40 per cent travel time.
According to the TomTom Traffic Index, Canada’s average traffic congestion rate dropped by two per cent, from 27 per cent to 25 per cent, with the busiest times usually happening on Thursday evenings.
Trevor Moravec has been a truck driver for 23 years. He said Los Angeles is the worst city he’s ever driven through. Where does he rank Edmonton?
“On a scale of one to 10, I’d say probably a six, maybe a seven.”
READ MORE: Traffic woes across Canada continue despite decline in road congestion
The annual report detailed 295 cities in 38 countries around the world with the most traffic congestion, based on 14 trillion data points over eight years.
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In Canada, Vancouver ranked the highest with a 34 per cent traffic congestion rate.
Toronto came in second at 28 per cent, while Montreal sits at a rate of 26 per cent followed by Ottawa (26 per cent).
READ MORE: Want to get through traffic congestion quicker? City says slow down
The TomTom Traffic Index is based on 2015 data.
“We really want everybody to think about how they can lower the amount of time they waste in traffic every day – and to realize that we all need to play a part,” said Ralf-Peter Schaefer, vice president of TomTom Traffic, who credits infrastructure and traffic management for the decline.
“Consider other modes of travel – maybe the fastest way to get to work is by bike, on public transport, or even by foot.”
Despite improving rates since last year, commuters will still spend an average of 126 hours of extra travel time per year – slightly more than five full days.
With files from Rachel Lau, Global News
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