A new survey commissioned by the Toronto Region Board of Trade shows a majority of respondents have considered moving away from the city due to congestion.
The board says the survey provides data on a sentiment that’s popular throughout the Greater Toronto Area (GTA): congestion is getting out of hand. That’s why, according to an infrastructure expert and a cycling advocate, there needs to be a focus on giving people options outside of cars to move around the city.
The survey conducted by Ipsos heard from 1,000 people in Toronto, Hamilton, Durham, Halton, Peel and York between June 7 and 14.
Among those who responded, 86 per cent of respondents said there is a crisis, with 89 per cent of drivers agreeing and 82 per cent of non drivers agreeing with the statement.
Of the 86 per cent of people who said the city and its surrounding areas are facing a traffic crisis, 89 per cent of them are drivers and 82 per cent aren’t. Nearly half of the people who responded say they avoid shopping, going out for entertainment or to watch sports because of congestion.
CBC’s Angelina King and Nicole Brockbank went for a drive to see how bad traffic is in Toronto’s core and looked into what’s being done to try and make it more bearable.
Giles Gherson, the board of trade’s CEO, said one of the survey’s concerning insights is that 62 per cent don’t want to commute to the office due to congestion.
“That many people saying I’m reluctant to go to work was pretty devastating and pretty serious,” he said. “What I think you see out of this is a very frustrated public [that] is saying we want this to be a top priority.”
Matti Siemiatycki, the director of the infrastructure institute at the University of Toronto, said part of easing congestion in the city is improving public transit. If city traffic is getting that bad, he said the city may need to consider congestion pricing — essentially putting a price on the use of certain urban roads.
“I think we’re at the point where the alternative is worse,” he said. “People are stuck in traffic and it’s really impacting business and our quality of life.”
The board’s survey found respondents would also be in favour of 24-hour construction to both speed up transit improvements and general road work, as 68 per cent of those polled found construction was a main driver of congestion, specifically citing a mismanagement of construction schedules with too much happening at once.
Toronto working to speed up Gardiner construction
One prominent example is Toronto’s busy and clogged Gardiner Expressway. The city has pledged to speed up construction, but few details have been revealed regarding how that will happen and how much it will cost.
Siemiatycki said 24-hour construction can speed up projects but it has its own issues.
“Everyone wants 24-hour construction as long as its not on their street below their bedroom window,” he said.
But there are places in the city where it can be done and not be hugely disruptive to residents, which should be explored, he added. About three quarters of people who responded to the survey said they’d be open to having a 24-hour construction in their neighbourhood.
In a statement, the city’s director of traffic management said construction being done in the city will improve access to transit and other transportation options.
“We know no one wants to be stuck in traffic and we greatly appreciate everyone’s patience as we get these projects completed,” said Roger Brown.
Toronto has unveiled a new four-year construction plan for the Gardiner Expressway, which will mean lane reductions in both ways on a very busy stretch of the highway. CBC’s Greg Ross has the latest details on how this will impact Torontonians.
Move away from single-occupancy drives: advocate
About a fifth of respondents said other uses of roads, such as bike lanes, parking and CafeTO patios, are a main driver of congestion.
But Alison Stewart, Cycle Toronto’s director of advocacy and public policy, says it’s the cars that are causing the congestion.
She said public transit needs to be the fastest way to get around the city.
“That moves the most amount of people, followed by making it safer and easier for people to walk and bike, leaving more room on our roads for those that need to get around in vehicles,” Stewart said, adding those who need to get around in vehicles include delivery drivers, contractors and people with mobility problems.
She said there need to be options that draw people away from sitting in a car alone to get around Toronto.
“We really need to focus on public transportation and other active modes of transportation,” she said. “For distances under five kilometres, getting around by bike is really — if you can do it — the fastest way to get around.”
Giles, with the board of trade, said many people commuting into the city are coming from farther than five kilometres away. Without a better transit system to get them downtown, he said, they will still rely on cars.
To that point, a spokesperson for the provincial Ministry of Transportation said the new Ontario Line subway, which has an expected opening date of 2031, is expected to move 400,000 people a day and take 28,000 cars off the road.
“While we understand construction and building for the future can be disruptive, we also know that if we don’t start building the infrastructure needed to support our growing population, gridlock will continue to get worse in the years ahead,” Blazina said in an email.