Montreal ranked third most congested city in Canada: study

Despite where you may be sitting on the Decarie, Montreal has been ranked the third most traffic congested city in Canada, according to the ninth edition of the Traffic Index released by global navigation system TomTom.

The Index, which is the most accurate barometer of traffic congestion of over 400 cities around the world, looks at the true impact of rush hour traffic on the workweek.

Montreal also ranks tenth in North America.

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According to the study, 57% of countries included in the report saw increase in traffic congestion, and that includes some of Canada’s biggest cities.

In Canada, Vancouver was the most congested city, and its congestion levels has gone up with drivers spending an average of 39% extra travel time stuck in traffic.

In Toronto, drivers are stuck in traffic an average of 33% more in travel time.

Mexico City ranks first on TomTom’s North American list with a 52% congestion level. Montreal’s 29% of congestion level was a 2% increase based on 2018’s list.

“This global increase in congestion, despite being an indicator of a strong economy, is understood to cost economies billions,” reads the study.

Ralf-Peter Schäfer, TomTom’s VP of Traffic Information, said that city planners need to make important infrastructure decisions with tools available to analyze the impact of traffic.

“Globally, there’s a long road to travel until congestion levels are brought under control. In time, the rise of autonomous vehicles and car-sharing services will help alleviate congestion, but planners and policymakers can’t afford to sit and wait,” said Schäfer.

“They need to use all the tools available to them to analyze traffic levels and impacts, so they can make critical infrastructure decisions. And drivers have a role to play too. Small changes in driving behaviours can make a huge difference.”

On a global scale, Canada doesn’t rank in the top 10.

Bengaluru takes the top spot this year with drivers in the southern Indian city expecting to spend an average of 71% extra travel time stuck in traffic, according to the study.

Manila comes in second, followed by Bogota and Mumbai.

Rounding up the fifth spot is Pune, India.

Here are the top 10 most congested cities in the world, Montreal ranked 138th. For an in-depth look at Montreal’s traffic, visit the TomTom’s full report.

According to TomTom’s report, Montrealers spent 131 extra hours in traffic in 2019, the equivalent to five days and 11 hours and the worst time to be in traffic is on Thursdays at 4 pm.