Canadians Commuting More and More

Canadians are spending more of their lives getting to and from work — a whopping 12 days a year.

Based on data from the 2005 General Social Survey, commuters spent an average of 63 minutes a day making the round trip, the equivalent of nearly 275 hours of commuting.

The average travel times were significantly higher in 2005 than in 1992 in five of Canada's six largest urban areas and were up for both car and transit users.

Toronto topped the charts, with residents there suffering an average 79 minute-round trip commute — roughly 340 hours a year or two solid weeks.

Calgarians and Montrealers also saw big gains in the last survey compared to 1992 levels.

The average slog to work for Montrealers took 76 minutes, an extra 2.5 days a year, while Calgarians saw their commutes swell by about 14 minutes, bringing the total to 66 minutes.

The study blamed Calgary's rapidly expanding population and vigorous economic growth for the increased traffic congestion.

Vancouver, on the other hand, has remained steady over the last decade, with round trip commutes holding at about 67 minutes last year.

It didn't matter whether people were traveling by car or public transit, commute times for both modes of transport increased in all regions of the country.

In Quebec, for example, the proportion of workers who take 90 minutes or more to get to work and back jumped from 15 % in 1992 to 27 % in 2005.

The survey data does little to bolster the cause of public transit advocates, as the results showed car drivers spend much less time getting to work than transit users.

Only 13 % of bus or subway riders could make the round trip in under an hour, compared to 55 % of car drivers. The average time for public transit users was 106 minutes compared to 59 minutes for those traveling by car. The survey also showed the public transit advocates' message about the benefits of leaving the car at home isn't getting through to drivers.

Despite environmental concerns, higher fuel costs and traffic congestion, the percentage of workers using a car to commute remained stable in 2005 at around 86 %. About 12 % hopped on the bus or subway for all or part of their commute and about 11 % of workers made the trip by foot or bicycle.

In Canada's six largest metropolitan centres, about 20 per cent made use of public transit in 2005, virtually the same proportion as in 1992.

So what's the fastest way to get to work? The study controlled for the obvious factors that influence commute times — distance from the workplace, transportation mode and metropolitan area of residence — to determine the ideal scenario. Those who live in areas with a population under 50,000 people, live less than five kilometres from work, commute by car, have no children to drop off and pick up, and who make no stops, fare the best. Those people spend on average about 25 minutes on the round trip between work and home.

More statistics from the survey:

• Dropping off or picking up kids tacks on an added 21 minutes to the round trip
• On average, public transit users spend 41 minutes longer on their commute than car drivers
• A round trip is predicted to be 12 minutes longer for workers who car pool

Average travel time in Canada's major cities:

• Ottawa-Gatineau — 65 minutes
• Toronto — 79 minutes
• Montreal — 76 minutes
• Vancouver — 67 minutes
• Calgary — 66 minutes
• Edmonton — 62 minutes