While we didn’t need a study to confirm it, the Canadian Automobile Association (CAA) has released a report stating Montreal is home to some of the country’s most congested highways.
According to the study, the traffic woes are comparable to those in big U.S. cities like New York and Los Angeles.
When it comes to ranking, Toronto clinched the first two spots but Montreal’s Highway 40 between Pie IX and Chemin de la Côte-de-Liesse follows in third place.
Montreal commuters are stuck in traffic in that spot for nearly two million hours every year.
Highway 15 between Highway 40 and Côte-Saint-Luc Road placed 5th with 812,000 hours in delays which works out to 33 days.
Highway 25 between Highway 40 and between Souligny Av. and Beaubien St. came in in 8th.
Being stuck in all that traffic not only burns gas but also money says Annie Gauthier, a spokesperson for CAA Quebec.
“We talk about $75 million lost. It’s a lot of money for only five bottlenecks in Montreal, in a year.”
If you’re wondering what can a study like this do to help, Gauthier says it helps identify key issues for policymakers.
“Hopefully they will be able to use that information to prioritize and to find solutions which are more focused on the real problems,” Gauthier added.
READ MORE: Stop complaining, Canada: Your traffic is bad, but far from worst
Transports Quebec told Global News they’ve taken notice of the study.
In a statement, Transports Quebec wrote they’ve invested $46 million in 2016-2017 in public transport to relieve commuters during construction season and the results have been “conclusive.”
They added, they’re doing everything they can to encourage public transportation and ride sharing.
Transports Quebec is also hoping the new electric train system will help alleviate some of Montreal’s traffic issues.
READ MORE: West Islanders welcome new electric train details
However, drivers will have to remain patient in the chaotic traffic for a while yet as it will take four more years for the electric train project to be complete.
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