The report, Costs of Road Congestion in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area, assesses the impact traffic congestion has on the economic prosperity of the region. It takes a look at the time and money wasted because of travel delays.

The study concluded that in 2006, the annual cost of congestion to commuters in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area was already $3.3 billion. This cost comes from travel delays, increased impact to the environment, increased vehicle costs from travel delays, and increased chance of vehicle collisions.

In addition, when we are stuck in traffic and transit longer than we should be, there is less time for us to be doing something productive, resulting in a cost to the economy. In 2006, this cost to the economy in the form of Gross Domestic Product is estimated at $2.7 billion.

Looking ahead to 2031, these costs to commuters in our region and the economy will balloon to $7.8 billion and $7.2 billion, respectively.

By improving and expanding our transportation system as laid out in The Big Move, the Regional Transportation Plan, we can vastly improve our 2031 outlook. Not only will it help to relieve congestion, shorten travel times, reduce our impact on the environment and improve our productivity, the major infrastructure construction program will also create thousands of jobs.

Read the Costs of Road Congestion in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area report here