Halifax is the third worst city for traffic in Canada: TomTom

Halifax was ranked the third worst city in Canada in terms of rush hour congestion and travel time, according to new TomTom traffic index.

If you’re looking to drive somewhere in Halifax, you’d better give yourself plenty of time.

The 2025 traffic index by TomTom, a mapmaking company based in Amsterdam, ranked Halifax third in terms of rush hour congestion and travel time. Only Toronto and Vancouver ranked above it.

The index noted Halifax drivers spend 83 hours (more than three straight days) in rush hour traffic per year.

It also takes Halifax drivers an average of 24 minutes to travel 10 kilometres.

Halifax was the only Maritime town to make the index, which ranked 13 Canadian cities.

The index also ranked Halifax fifth in its list of metro areas. It found that drivers in the Halifax metro region spend 40 hours a year in rush hour and need an average of 15 minutes to travel 10 kilometres.

The municipality’s traffic issues were exacerbated over the weekend due to the closure of the MacKay Bridge.

“We understand there was a lot of traffic on the weekend because the bridge was closed,” said Steve Proctor, communications manager with Halifax Harbour Bridges. “We had two small accidents on the Macdonald Bridge on the weekend so that added to the thing.”

-With files from CTV Atlantic’s Jonathan MacInnis

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