Traffic ‘crisis’ has many Toronto-area residents ‘reluctant’ to work in office: poll

Many Toronto-area residents are “reluctant to recreation to work” amid a traffic and congestion “crisis,” a caller canvass indicates.

The poll, conducted by Ipsos for nan Toronto Region Board of Trade (TRBT), besides showed that a mostly of respondents person contemplated moving extracurricular of nan Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area to debar postulation issues.

“We’re steadily cementing our estimation arsenic a spot wherever you can’t get around,” TRBT president and CEO Giles Gherson said successful a news release.

“Gridlock is driving people’s decisions connected whether to spell to work, nan store, a sporting event, aliases moreover proceed to telephone Toronto home.”

The merchandise said nan congestion is not conscionable a individual inconvenience, but is affecting “already declining economical productivity.”

“The regular grind of postulation jams takes a toll connected work-life equilibrium and master efficiency,” it said.

Sixty-four per cent of respondents indicated they are “reluctant to recreation to work” because of traffic and congestion, and 59 per cent said they are little productive astatine activity owed to clip spent commuting.

“The accent and fatigue from agelong commutes tin lead to little occupation capacity and decreased worker satisfaction,” nan merchandise said.

Twenty-four per cent besides said they’re discouraged from applying for jobs successful different parts of nan Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area.

Among those surveyed, 86 per cent said they deliberation location is simply a “traffic and congestion situation successful nan GTHA,” and 53 per cent of respondents said they’ve contemplated moving distant from nan GTHA to debar nan gridlock.

Among 18- to 34-year-olds surveyed, nan second fig is moreover higher, pinch 64 per cent considering leaving nan region.

“The information highlights a troubling trend: postulation congestion is much than an inconvenience. It stands arsenic a driving facet down nan imaginable exodus of our early workforce,” nan merchandise said.

Fifty-seven per cent said location are excessively galore vehicles connected nan road, while 68 per cent deliberation “too overmuch building astatine nan aforesaid clip and mismanagement of building schedules” is nan main logic for nan gridlock, nan merchandise said.

Seventy-three per cent, meanwhile, support 24-hour roadworthy building and 74 per cent support 24-hour transit construction, moreover successful their ain neighbourhoods, nan merchandise noted.

The TRBT said nan findings item nan “urgent request for progress” connected postulation congestion.

The committee has a congestion task force, aimed astatine uncovering “practical, high-impact solutions” to postulation problems.

The canvass was conducted online betwixt June 7 and 14, and surveyed 1,000 GTHA residents aged 18-plus.