Young workers think of leaving Toronto over traffic concerns

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Traffic congestion in the Golden Horseshoe is so bad that people are skipping seeing family and friends, putting off shopping, and thinking of leaving the area completely.

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These are some of the findings of a poll conducted by Ipsos for the Toronto Region Board of Trade (TRBOT).

The numbers paint a bleak picture of life for commuters, which should be no surprise for anyone living through the daily grind. The poll of 1,000 residents, aged 18 and older, and from the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area, asked a number of questions related to gridlock and how to fix it.

An overwhelming majority, 86%, believe there is a congestion crisis in the GTA, while 85% believe congestion negatively impacts the local economy. In fact, the Board of Trade has regularly cited a study by Inrix, which stated that the average driver lost 118 hours due to congestion in 2022.

Some might put that down to just the cost of being a big city, but there is a dollar figure attached to it, an estimated $11 billion annually in lost productivity and opportunity, according to TRBOT.

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Beyond the economic cost, there are the lifestyle headaches, with 63% reporting that “traffic and congestion are serious problems for me and my household,” and 58% reporting they are often late due to traffic.

It’s more than an inconvenience when it is taking a toll on family life because a spouse or parent misses an important, or even mundane, event.

All of this makes the region less livable, less attractive to those already here and those we are trying to recruit to fill needed jobs.

The poll found that 62% said they are reluctant to commute to work due to congestion, 59% said they are less productive and 53% said they have considered moving out of the region due to traffic. Among those aged 18-34 — the future workforce of the city — 64% have said they have thought about moving away.

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“We’re steadily cementing our reputation as a place where you can’t get around,” said Giles Gherson, president and CEO of TRBOT.

“Gridlock is driving people’s decisions on whether to go to work, the store, a sporting event, or even continue to call Toronto home.”

Getting around the city is impossible these days with road closures due to construction, events like this past weekend’s triathlon, weekly political demonstrations which have taken place in the core since October, and the ever-growing bike lane network choking off lanes in a project that started downtown and has spread like a bad fungus.

The poll from IPSOS found that so many of us now rethink what should be standard activities, such as 42% saying congestion has made them avoid going shopping. The same percentage said they have skipped going to a sporting or entertainment event in the GTA.

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Do you want to go out this weekend? No, the traffic is too bad.

That may sound like whining, but it is reality.

Some of us (38%) have chosen not to go out to a restaurant due to congestion, while 31% said they have avoided going to see family. These aren’t the little niceties of life; these events are what life is all about.

We work so that we can enjoy life, go to events, visit with family and friends, break bread somewhere new — and congestion is slowly choking that out of existence.

Gherson said that it’s time for political leaders to stop passing the buck or paying lip service to such a serious issue.

“This has a profound impact for our downtown recovery and investment in business and jobs. We need solutions. Our Congestion Task Force is working on practical, high-impact solutions to get the city moving again,” he said.

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That includes supporting 24/7 construction, which the city says it is engaged in but really isn’t, in order to finish projects sooner. The poll found that 76% of residents agreed with the idea of 24/7 construction, and that support only dropped to 74% when it was in their own neighbourhood.

We need to get this city moving again and that includes better planning, making projects move faster and not allowing the Gardiner project to take three years to complete.

Gherson and the Board of Trade has shown in real terms the frustration of the public, let’s see if our political leaders react to that frustration and change course.

Note: The poll of 1,000 adults aged 18 and over was conducted by Ipsos using an online panel between June 7 and 14, 2024. The poll was conducted across Durham Region, Halton Region Peel Region, The City of Toronto, York Region, and the City of Hamilton.

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