Toronto traffic is the worst (literally, ) — it can clog up roads and flare up frustration for drivers. But for pedestrians, it can be lethal, and in more ways than you think. The most obvious danger: being hit by a car when walking through the city.
As of July 7, 41 pedestrians have been seriously injured and 10 have died in traffic-related collisions in Toronto this year, according to the city’s Vision Zero dashboard. But there are other slow, invisible ways congestion can take years off your life as a pedestrian. You’re probably mostly familiar with harmful tailpipe emissions — noxious fumes from a car’s engine that, not only smell bad, but can kill you too.
As Toronto’s traffic continues to , getting away from air pollution is no easy feat. found that air pollution in the city caused 1,300 premature deaths and 3,550 hospitalizations annually. A broader Health Canada estimate from 2019 estimated that 14,600 premature deaths across Canada were associated with air pollution.
You need to be at least 300 metres away from a major roadway in order for the risks from tailpipe emission to become minimal — but in a city like Toronto, getting 300 metres away from a major street means you’re basically leaving the city core. The health toll of being caught in traffic goes deeper than stress and road rage. Here’s how sitting in gridlock affects your body.
The good news is that tailpipe emissions have been gradually decreasing, as technology for reducing engine emissio.