Gherson: Sick of gridlock, young Torontonians are looking to flee the city. Here is how we keep them

By Giles Gherson, Contributor

A startling number of Torontonians are now asking, to quote the famous Clash song: Should I stay, or should I go?

According to a new poll from the Toronto Region Board of Trade and Ipsos, fully 53 per cent of residents in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area have considered moving outside the region to escape our now legendary gridlock. Among those aged 18-34 — our city’s current and future prime workforce — that number rose to a troubling 64 per cent.

As it is, last year our region lost more than 16,000 residents to other provinces and a staggering 100,000 to less expensive areas within Ontario. In line with the Board’s polling, more than half of those who left Toronto for other parts of Ontario were between 20 and 38 years old, many with young families, according to Mike Moffatt, senior director at the Smart Prosperity Institute.

These numbers should set off alarm bells.

Congestion and housing affordability have emerged as the dominant twin challenges for our region. As more young people “drive to qualify” for a mortgage on a home that meets their needs, they are increasingly disinclined to see Toronto as a place to live or work. These figures point to the level of stress and frustration around congestion that has reached a boiling point. The daily grind of living in a city and region bursting at its seams is taking its toll.

It’s not just about inconvenience; it’s about the very livability of our city. A highly livable urban environment is what Toronto is known for, and restoring and protecting that reputation has got to be job one.

In January, our city claimed an unwelcome title: the congestion king of North America, courtesy of TomTom’s traffic index. This dubious accolade reflects a convergence of our underfunded and underbuild transportation system with two decades of rapid population growth, and the return to daily life following the pandemic. The recent Gardiner Expressway lane closures have only exacerbated the issue, increasing commute times up to a staggering 250 per cent, according to a GeoTab ITS study on commercial vehicle traffic.

From the Board of Trade’s offices, I witness firsthand the long lineup of cars along Queens Quay, struggling to reach Lake Shore Boulevard and the Gardiner Expressway. Trucks full of time-sensitive goods and service providers crawl to their destinations, frequently well after their expected delivery or service times.

How did we get here? It’s basic math. The Toronto region’s population has grown by 2.5 million, but we neglected to plan and prepare for this growth and still sorely lack the transit and necessary infrastructure needed to keep people and goods moving. As a result, our roads are clogged.

The good news is that after several lost decades a significant amount of infrastructure is now being built. Governments are investing heavily, and the Toronto region is on the cusp of a transportation revolution, with more than $80 billion in transit capital projects underway.

But, the proliferation of transportation infrastructure and private development projects need to be better planned and sequenced, completed more quickly, and remove lanes from service less often and for shorter durations.

To bridge the gap between where we are today and our transit-oriented future, we need immediate solutions. Making more effective use of our arterial roads, encouraging nighttime delivery of goods, better traffic enforcement, and smart traffic signalling and light sequencing could all play a role. Solving congestion must be a top priority. Other decisions may have to be relegated in order to solve this critical issue with the urgency it merits.

Encouragingly, our poll told us the public is willing to endure short-term inconveniences for long-term gain; 74 per cent of GTHA residents support 24-hour construction to alleviate traffic congestion, with almost the same number supporting it even in their neighbourhoods.

The road ahead is challenging, but not insurmountable. The Board’s Congestion Task Force is investigating bold solutions to alleviate our congestion woes and transform Toronto’s transportation landscape. Addressing our gridlock challenge isn’t just about reducing commute times; it’s about safeguarding our city’s economic vitality, ability to attract and retain talent, and overall livability.