They might total just 65 kilometres, a mere fraction of the nation’s entire road system, but these 65 kilometres are costing drivers more than 11.5 million hours and some 22 million extra litres of fuel per year. What’s more, these traffic bottlenecks are starting to rival some of the worst bottlenecks in America, including those in cities like Chicago and Los Angeles, both notoriously famous for their traffic congestion.

Or so say the finding of “Grinding to a Halt, Evaluating Canada’s Worst Bottlenecks,” a new first-of-its-kind study released by the Canadian Automobile Association (CAA.)

"Traffic congestion is a major source of stress for Canadians,” said Jeff Walker, vice-president of Public Affairs for CAA National. “Our study concludes that traffic bottlenecks affect Canadians in every major urban market, increasing commute times by as much as 50 per cent. Reducing these bottlenecks will increase the quality of life for millions of Canadians, save millions in fuel costs and reduce greenhouse gases, helping contribute to Canada's climate change commitments."

These bottlenecks are the biggest cause of road delays, says the study. They “far outpace” delays caused by traffic accidents, inclement weather and construction. The study provides data-based evidence in an effort to educate decision-makers at federal, provincial and municipal levels and includes hard costs to Canadians including lost time, productivity and added greenhouse gas emissions.

For the study, CAA retained CPCS, an Ottawa-based transportation management consulting firm to analyze the data.

Not surprisingly, Toronto had the most entries in the survey—the city is home to half of the nation’s worst bottlenecks. Montreal claimed another five, Vancouver four and Quebec City took the remaining position on the list of the top 20, although the study also listed other “bottlenecks of note” in Calgary, Edmonton, Regina, Ottawa and Halifax.

The Worst Bottlenecks in Canada

Canada’s worst highway bottleneck is the Toronto stretch of Highway 401 between Highway 427 and Yonge Street. According to the study, this bottleneck costs commuters more than 3 million hours of delay annually. Other Toronto bottlenecks in the top five include the Don Valley Parkway between Don Mills Rd and Finch Ave. and the Gardiner Expressway between South Kingsway and Bay St.

The third-worst bottleneck in Canada is found in Montreal, where the stretch of Highway 15 connects Highway 40 and Chemin de la Côte-Saint-Luc.

The 15-kilometre stretch of Highway 401 is so congested, it ranks ninth on a survey of the 35 worst bottlenecks throughout the United States and Canada. Don Valley Parkway clocks in at 14 on the same survey, while the Montreal stretch takes its place at number 18.

The City of Vancouver, which doesn’t have any non-signalized highways in the downtown core, includes two main arteries in the top ten. Granville Street and West Georgia Street are so congested, they rank as number 9 and number 10 on the top ten Canadian bottlenecks and also have the dubious honour of featuring some of the slowest driving speeds in the country.

More information on Canada's worst bottlenecks can be found at www.caa.ca/wp-content/uploads/pdfs/en/16170_Canadian_National_Bottlenecks_Study_EN_1_4_17.pdf. The list of the top 20 can be found by jumping ahead to page 9.

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