Kitchener-Waterloo least congested major area in Canada, report finds

Traffic moves along King Street in downtown Kitchener on Friday, June 12, 2015. (Brian Dunseith / CTV Kitchener)

Kitchener-Waterloo residents spend less time in traffic than just about anybody else, according to a new look at traffic congestion in 12 of Canada’s urban areas.

The report was released Tuesday by TomTom, which manufactures vehicle GPS units and other systems involving traffic data.

It measured Kitchener-Waterloo’s “congestion level” – the amount of time added to trips as compared to if there was no traffic to deal with – at 16 per cent for 2015.

That number was slightly lower than the number recorded locally the previous year, and just low enough to edge Hamilton as the lowest among the 12 Canadian areas looked at.

Vancouver was found to have the highest congestion level in Canada, at 34 per cent, followed by 28 per cent for Toronto.

In Kitchener-Waterloo, congestion rates were found to be higher during the afternoon rush (30 per cent) than the morning commute (24 per cent).