Renowned actor Tom Cruise recently voiced his frustration with Toronto’s traffic in an interview, and we are right there with the action movie star.
ETalk’s Sonia Mangat was interviewing Cruise ahead of the release of the latest blockbuster Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part Oneย when the chat turned to a truly impossible mission โ dealing with Toronto traffic.
During the interview, Mangat challenged Cruise to tackle Toronto’s traffic without road rage for two hours in a stunt for Part Two.
โYou know what, I have done that challenge and I have been in that traffic. Iโve made movies in Toronto, Iโve visited Toronto, I have friends in Toronto,โ Cruise said.
โWhatโs up with the traffic in Toronto? Have they figured this out?โ he added.
And the short answer is no. Not even a bit.
A 2022 report by traffic analytics company INRIX seems to support his sentiments. The report, which drew on four years of data, reveals that Toronto is among the worst cities in the world for traffic congestion. In 2022, commuters in the Greater Toronto Area spent an average of 118 hours stuck in gridlock, earning the city a seventh-place ranking globally and the unfortunate title of the most congested city in Canada.
Toronto’s traffic troubles are further highlighted by its third-place ranking in North America, trailing only behind Chicago and Boston. The INRIX report identifies London, Chicago, and Paris as the top three cities with the most challenging traffic worldwide.
According to the report, the average vehicle speed in Toronto during 2022 was a mere 24 km/h, dropping even lower to 20 km/h during peak traffic hours. Even during off-peak times, drivers could only achieve an average speed of 61 km/h. Toronto’s 2022 ranking shows a significant jump from its previous placement in 22nd position, emphasizing the escalating severity of traffic congestion in the city.
Montreal followed Toronto as the second-worst Canadian city for traffic, with an average of 72 hours lost to congestion in 2022. Vancouver, Winnipeg, and Calgary also faced significant traffic challenges, illustrating the widespread nature of this issue in Canada.
