MONTREAL – A new survey shows Montreal, Vancouver and Toronto were among the top five cities in North America when it comes to traffic delays.
Montreal placed fourth place, coming after Los Angeles, Vancouver and San Francisco, in the 26 cities tallied in a traffic-congestion survey from Dutch GPS firm TomTom, covering the second quarter of this year.
Montreal traffic
The research, using data drawn from the company’s subscribers, shows drivers in Montreal have their average commute delayed an extra 28 per cent during congestion compared to when traffic flows smoothly.
However the figures for the morning and evening peak traffic times reveal that Montreal’s are the highest in North America.
At peak traffic times, Montreal drivers are delayed an extra 57 per cent in the morning and an additional 76 per cent in the evening – an average delay of 40 minutes for every hour driven.
Peak hours the worst
The report also found that congestion in Montreal was worst during peak traffic periods on Thursday evenings and Tuesday mornings.
The best days for congestion-free traffic in the city were Monday evenings and Friday mornings.
The report says Montreal drivers who have a 30-minute commute will spend an extra 92 hours a year in traffic.
Montrealers are not the only Canadians stuck in traffic – Vancouver took 2nd place, Toronto came in fifth, Ottawa 12th and Calgary 16th.
The survey shows drivers in the top three Canadian cities are hit the hardest by traffic during evening gridlock, which takes more than two-thirds longer compared to when traffic is light.
Read the full report here:
Top 3 – Congestion decreasing
The top three North American cities that revealed a drop in traffic congestion included two from Canada – Edmonton and Ottawa.
Edmonton came in 25th of the 26 cities tallied, with traffic bumping commute times by only one-tenth, with a 14 per cent average delay during congestion.
The Alberta city showed the biggest drop in congestion delays compared to the previous quarter – a seven per cent drop – according to the research.
Ottawa took 12th place with a 22 per cent average delay during congestion.
Top ten worst offenders
The top 10 most congested North American cities, ranked by overall congestion level were:
1. Los Angeles (34%)
2. Vancouver (33%)
3. San Francisco (29%)
4. Montreal (28%)
5. Toronto (27%)
6. Washington (26%)
7. Seattle (26%)
8. New York (25%)
9. Chicago (23%)
10. Miami (22 %)
SOUND OFF: Are you surprised by the results? Why do you think Montreal rates so high on the list? Let us know on Facebook.
– With files from The Canadian Press
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