IBM: Toronto’s commuter traffic ranks among the worst worldwide
http://img210.imageshack.us/img210/2171/0630commuter.jpg
National Post Staff June 30, 2010 – 10:23 am

There’s nothing Torontonians like to do more than gripe about their commute. And now, a new survey proves that all that dissatisfaction with the trip to work is justified.

Canada’s largest city placed second this week on a worldwide “commuter pain” survey, with Johannesburg ranking as the only city with a more painful commute.

The survey, which was conducted by IBM, asked drivers in 20 major cities — including Toronto and Montreal — abut the physical and emotional toll of traffic congestion. Forty-three per cent of Toronto’s commuters reported that traffic congestion has contributed to their stress and anger.

Moscow and Toronto tied for 2nd place among those who say traffic has worsened in the past three years. Only Johannesburg scored higher.

Worldwide, 49% of commuters felt the quality of their commute had declined. Only 5% saying their daily drive had improved. Thirty-one percent of commuters experienced traffic so frustrating they turned back.

Locally, nearly one in four of the local respondents (24%) said traffic had caused them to cancel or delay an outing in the past month, compared to 31% globally. Of those drivers, 30% cancelled shopping trips; 20% put off recreation and 19% postponed some sort of entertainment.

The results demonstrate how excessive traffic can negatively affect the economy. In 2005, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) released a study of Toronto that found $3.3-billion of productivity is lost to traffic each year.

IBM compiled the results of the survey into an index ranking the emotional and economic toll of commuting in each city. Stockholm boasts the easiest commute among the cities studied, followed by Melbourne, Houston and New York City. Only 18% of drivers in Stockholm reported that traffic negatively impacted their performance at school or work.

Montreal also ranked near the bottom of IBM’s list, with commuters there reporting among the least stressful commutes in the world.

Interestingly, 48% of the motorists surveyed in Beijing reported an improvement in traffic over the past three years. Fully 95% of those drivers, however, still say traffic negatively affects their health.




Read more: http://news.nationalpost.com/2010/06/30/ibm-torontos-commuter-traffic-ranks-among-the-worst-worldwide/#ixzz0sMdnzJtX

That's why i like Stockholm. :)

There’s nothing Torontonians like to do more than gripe about their commute. And now, a new survey proves that all that dissatisfaction with the trip to work is justified.What?? That sentence makes no sense!

Let's see... there's a group of people who constantly say something is really bad, so you do a survey asking how bad it is, and, surprise-surprise, they again say it's really bad. So that's what The Post is calling proof these days? :|

When people constantly complain about something it can either mean that the object of their complaints actually is really bad, that the group is just a bunch of whiny complainers, or a combination of the two (a moderately bad situation and moderately whiny people), and conducting a survey asking the people how bad they think it is does nothing to clarify as to which is the case.

When people constantly complain about something it can either mean that the object of their complaints actually is really bad, that the group is just a bunch of whiny complainers, or a combination of the two (a moderately bad situation and moderately whiny people), and conducting a survey asking the people how bad they think it is does nothing to clarify as to which is the case.

This is true but the number of complaints is more likely to influence politicians than actual facts.

People bitch about taxes all the time (Ontario actually has it pretty good; we complain anyway) so the commute complaints equal or outweigh the "reduce taxation" complaints and spending now occurs.

Read more: http://news.nationalpost.com/2010/06/30/ibm-torontos-commuter-traffic-ranks-among-the-worst-worldwide/#ixzz0sMdnzJtX

Has anyone who wrote that article actually driven in Montreal traffic.

Stress free is not exactly what I would call it

What?? That sentence makes no sense!

Let's see... there's a group of people who constantly say something is really bad, so you do a survey asking how bad it is, and, surprise-surprise, they again say it's really bad. So that's what The Post is calling proof these days? :|

When people constantly complain about something it can either mean that the object of their complaints actually is really bad, that the group is just a bunch of whiny complainers, or a combination of the two (a moderately bad situation and moderately whiny people), and conducting a survey asking the people how bad they think it is does nothing to clarify as to which is the case.

This is true but the number of complaints is more likely to influence politicians than actual facts.

People bitch about taxes all the time (Ontario actually has it pretty good; we complain anyway) so the commute complaints equal or outweigh the "reduce taxation" complaints and spending now occurs.

And yet, these are the same stupid neoconservative assclowns who love to drive more than take public transit.:|

I swear by the Lords Of Kobol, these people pick up their cues from the States everyday....

Wheels.ca online article http://www.wheels.ca/article/asset/794345

The Science Behind Traffic Jams
A new infographic attempts to explain the causes of gridlock.

Wheels.ca

The next time you’re stuck in traffic on the Don Valley Parkway, you can take some solace in knowing science has it all figured out.

A new infographic from Car Insurance Guide - http://www.carinsurance.org/ aims to decode the causes of that great scourge of urban driving known as the common traffic jam.

Titled “The Science Behind Traffic Jams,” the graphic proposes three theories thought up by mathematicians to explain gridlock: The butterfly effect, invisible waves, and the tragedy of commons.

But sometimes, as is often the case on the DVP, the problem simply comes down to too many cars and not enough road.

Take a closer look at the graphic below for the full explanation.
http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2011/02/science-of-traffic-jams-opt.png

Read: http://www.wheels.ca/article/asset/794345
Car Insurance Guide - http://www.carinsurance.org/