Cdns. Addicted To Cars: Study

Despite the various methods of transportation in the GTA, a new study says people are relying on their cars more than ever before to get them from point A to point B.

A 2005 Statistics Canada survey shows the two major Canadian cities that rely on cars more than any others are Edmonton and Calgary.

About 77 per cent of Edmonton residents relied on their vehicles to make all their trips, while Calgary was a close second at 75 per cent, followed by Quebec City at 74 per cent.

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Hogtown came in fourth at 66 per cent, followed by Vancouver at 69 per cent.

When asked why the dependency on four wheels, one Torontonian said, “Because that’s my business. My business revolves around it [a car] and without a car I’d be lost.”

Least likely to use their vehicles were those living in Montreal, at 65 per cent.

StatsCan says the trend can be partly explained by the fact that Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver have older neighbourhoods in the downtown core.

The survey also found men are more likely to get behind the wheel of a car than women.

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Many environmental experts said the government has to step in to make some changes.

“Governments, in particular the federal government, has to help develop high-density neighbourhoods and has to help fund public transit,” said Franz Hartmann, Toronto Environmental Alliance.

He adds, “If more of us are living in suburban neighbourhoods, as a parent I wouldn’t want my kid on a bike if there are only cars around there. So I think that’s what’s happening.”

The further you live from your city’s centre, the more time you spend in a car on an average day.

Percentage of people using public transit for at least one of their trips during their day:

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Percentage of people making all their trips by car on an average day:

– Information courtesy Statistics Canada

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