What to know
- Toronto-born comedian Steph Tolev sparked a viral reaction after ranting about traffic on Highway 401, particularly in Milton, Guelph and Cambridge, during a recent drive westbound.
- Tolev, who moved to Los Angeles in 2016, compared the two cities’ traffic, arguing that Toronto’s 401 is worse than anything LA has to offer, while jokingly insulting Milton along the way.
- Fellow Torontonians related to her frustration, with social media users calling the 401 a “humiliation ritual” and sharing their own horror stories about getting stuck in traffic near Milton.
- Despite the complaints, Toronto ranked ninth for traffic congestion in North America in 2025, according to TomTom, with 47.7 per cent congestion. Los Angeles ranked third at 59.8 per cent, while Toronto placed 113th worldwide.
A Canadian comedian has fellow Toronto residents speaking out after she ranted about Highway 401’s traffic in a viral video on social media.
Steph Tolev is a Toronto-born comedian, best known for her JUNO-nominated comedy album I’m Not Well and her Netflix special Filth Queen. Tolev recently found herself driving westbound on the 401 through Milton, Guelph and Cambridge – a drive that ended with Tolev ranting at the Cambridge EnRoute.
“Who the f**k lives in Milton?” she asked in a now-viral video on her Instagram page. “Why am I in a gridlock in Milton, Ont., then at a standstill in Guelph?”
Tolev added that she struggled to get to the Cambridge EnRoute bathroom after her traffic ordeal, almost wetting herself in the process.
Tolev moved to Los Angeles in 2016, another city famous for their excessive traffic. Although, according to the comedian, it’s nothing compared to back home.
“If I have to hear one more person ever complain that L.A. has the worst traffic, you’ve never been to Toronto, you’ve never been on the 401,” Tolev began her rant off.
Tolev’s main gripe was with Milton, claiming the town was in barren.
“Milton, Ont. is f**cking butt f**ck nowhere. Cows live there. Piles of s**t live there,” Tolev told her audience. “No one lives in Milton. Is Milton on the map?”
Tolev ended off her rant with a strong statement toward the town.
“I hate Milton.”
‘A humiliation ritual,’ Torontonian reaction
The traffic rant is a sentiment many of Tolev’s followers agreed with.
“The 401 was never built to travel. It’s a mental fortitude test,” one Instagram user wrote. “A humiliation ritual if you will”
Another Instagram user said Tolev’s “crashout” was valid.
“Thank you for confirming our suffering,” they said.
Many joked about the highway, as well as Milton as a whole.
One viral quote that dates back to Tumblr was restated in a comment, as it makes fun of the traffic on the 401.
“‘I heard that babies are born on the 401, grow up on the 401, and take over for their parents as driver of the family car on the 401,’” the user wrote.
Another talked about their experience with traffic on the highway in 2020 near Milton, joking about how it led to their future.
“Got stuck in 401 traffic in 2020, merged into Milton to stretch my legs. Stuck so long I got married and I live here now.. Send help to the James Snow Parkway on-ramp if you see this, SOS,” they stated.
One Instagram user summed up Tolev’s crashout and experience nicely.
“A Canadian Heritage Moment,” they wrote.
Is Toronto traffic truly the worst?
Despite fellow Torontonians complaints, the city isn’t among the worst.
TomTom, a Dutch company that collects real-time traffic data worldwide, says the city still ranks 9th for most traffic in North America as of 2025, just behind Monterrey, Mexico, and New York City.
The company said Toronto sees an average congestion of around 47.7 per cent, just .3 per cent less than the Mexican city.
Despite Tolev’s claims that Toronto traffic is worse, Los Angeles ranks ahead at third in North America overall, with 59.8 per cent congestion. Mexico City and Guadalajara took the top spots.
Vancouver also surpasses Toronto as the Canadian city with the most traffic, at an average of 56.5 per cent congestion.
Worldwide, Toronto falls all the way to 113th place, with countries like the United Kingdom, India and Ireland filling up the higher spots. Mexico City still takes the top spot, with 75.9 per cent congestion.
All in all, it seems two things are true when it comes to Toronto traffic:
We’re all in this together, and yes, people do live in Milton.
