Toronto traffic has reached crisis level, poll data reveal
CTV
Toronto traffic has reached the point of a congestion crisis, according to the Toronto Region Board of Trade, whose new numbers warn of a significant impact on the city’s economy.
Toronto traffic has reached the point of a congestion crisis, according to the Toronto Region Board of Trade, whose new numbers warn of a significant impact on the city’s economy.
Data collected for the board by polling firm Ipsos indicate that growing gridlock is prompting a segment of the workforce to consider leaving the GTHA, with 53 per cent of respondents indicating they have contemplated relocating in order to escape congestion.
“It’s mind-boggling to see those kinds of numbers,” Board of Trade president Giles Gherson told CTV News Toronto.
“What we’re hearing in general is that it is a crisis. And that it is the priority for a lot of people.”
The statistics suggest significant pressures on the ability of business to maintain both top talent and footprints within the core.
Sixty-two per cent of respondents said they are reluctant to travel to work because of congestion-related delays. Of the age group 18-34, a key talent demographic, 64 per cent have considered moving away, threatening a developing workforce exodus.
Residents, meanwhile, indicate that stifling travel times have forced them to alter their routines and avoid activities that benefit the economy. Forty-two per cent of respondents said they avoid shopping or attending sports or entertainment events because of the traffic; 38 per cent refrain from dining out, and 31 per cent avoid visiting family and friends.
