Canada's worst cities for traffic were ranked and somehow #1 isn't Toronto

If you've ever sat in bumper-to-bumper traffic in Toronto or any other major Canadian urban centre, you probably think your city has the worst congestion in Canada. But new data shows where Canada's hubs rank when it comes to traffic — and somehow, it's not Toronto that tops the list.

TomTom's 2024 Traffic Index, which ranked 500 cities worldwide — including 13 in Canada — based on travel times and congestion levels, was released earlier this year, and the results are eye-opening for Canadian drivers.

The ranking is based on real-world GPS data collected from 737 billion kilometres driven across the globe last year, giving a detailed look at which cities are the biggest time-sucks for commuters. And let's just say, if you drive in some of these cities, your patience deserves a medal.

Canada's worst cities for traffic in 2024

According to TomTom, Vancouver is the worst city in Canada for traffic, with an average travel time of 27 minutes and 3 seconds per 10 km. That's an increase of 50 seconds compared to last year.

Vancouver's congestion level sits at 35% — meaning drivers are spending an average of 35% more time on the road than they would in completely free-flowing traffic. Over the course of a year, Vancouver commuters also lose 86 hours sitting traffic during rush hour.

Toronto came in second, with an average travel time of 25 minutes and 13 seconds per 10 km — still brutal, but slightly better than Vancouver. That said, Toronto's traffic is getting worse faster — that travel time already up 1 minute and 20 seconds compared to last year. Toronto's congestion level sits at 31%, with drivers losing 77 hours in rush-hour gridlock annually.

Rounding out the top five are Halifax, Winnipeg and Montreal, with each city averaging over 22 minutes per 10 km.

How the rankings were calculated

TomTom's index takes into account both static and dynamic factors. Static factors include things like road layout, speed limits and traffic light timing, while dynamic factors are the unpredictable elements — rush-hour traffic, construction, accidents and bad weather. This means a city with poorly designed roads may still rank better than one with high congestion due to traffic patterns.

For context, though, Canada's worst cities aren't that bad compared to global leaders in traffic misery. Vancouver, the most congested city in Canada, ranks 69th worldwide — far behind places like London (#5), Kyoto (#6) and New York City (#25).

Full ranking of Canadian cities

Here's how all 13 Canadian cities included in TomTom's 2024 Traffic Index ranked:

1. Vancouver — 27 min 3 s per 10 km, 35% congestion, 86 hours lost per year
2. Toronto — 25 min 13 s, 31% congestion, 77 hours lost
3. Halifax — 23 min 31 s, 30% congestion, 83 hours lost
4. Winnipeg — 23 min 1 s, 26% congestion, 74 hours lost
5. Montreal — 22 min 9 s, 28% congestion, 70 hours lost
6. London — 20 min 22 s, 28% congestion, 60 hours lost
7. Edmonton — 19 min 49 s, 21% congestion, 50 hours lost
8. Calgary — 18 min 11 s, 23% congestion, 49 hours lost
9. Ottawa — 16 min 56 s, 26% congestion, 55 hours lost
10. Hamilton — 16 min 46 s, 21% congestion, 39 hours lost
11. Quebec City — 16 min 41 s, 25% congestion, 49 hours lost
12. Waterloo — 16 min 27 s, 19% congestion, 31 hours lost
13. Kitchener — 14 min 50 s, 18% congestion, 26 hours lost

Interestingly, many Canadian cities ranked worse for traffic than some major global hubs, including Chicago, Dubai, Bangkok and even Los Angeles. So next time you're stuck in a sea of red taillights, just know — it could be worse.

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