Do you think Vancouver’s traffic is bad? Here’s how it compares to other cities

With so many people driving in and out of the city on a daily basis, it’s no wonder that Vancouver’s traffic is pretty dismal. In fact, a new global ranking by TomTom Traffic Index reveals that Vancouver has the second worst metro traffic in North America, just behind Mexico City.

So while we’re certainly not the largest or most bustling city out there, we can definitely relate to the struggles of big city traffic. If you’re curious about how other cities rank, keep reading.

Covering 389 cities across 56 countries and 6 continents, the 12th annual ranking analyzes each city’s travel time, fuel costs, and CO2 emissions throughout 2022.

Vancouver traffic trends

According to the ranking, it took Vancouverites an average of 15 minutes and 10 seconds to travel km within Metro Vancouver. And in the city centre, it took an average of 22 minutes and 30 seconds to travel the distance.

Overall, Metro Vancouver spent 132 hours in rush hour traffic last year. That makes Vancouver the second worst city for metro traffic in North America, and #58 globally (#31 for city centre traffic globally).

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When it comes to global cities with even higher travel times, London definitely takes the cake, with an average of 36 minutes and 20 seconds to travel 10 km within city limits, and 325 hours spent in rush hour traffic.

Dublin, Ireland and Bengaluru, India also top the charts, with 277 and 260 hours spent in rush hour traffic respectively.

Global traffic trends

A global increase in travel time is a pattern across most cities, as many people return to the office. What’s more, travel times saw a rise across 62% of the cities (242 out of 389), according to the ranking.

That wasn’t the only increase either. Energy prices and overall driving costs went up across the globe due to several factors.

So while having solid transit definitely helps, driving remains a “major mode of transport in most cities,” according to TomTom.