What to know
- A new report by Geotab Inc. ranked Toronto last among all 16 World Cup host cities in preparedness for congestion, risky driving and major event pressure.
- The city expects roughly 300,000 out-of-town visitors during the tournament and has introduced a mobility plan that includes road closures, infrastructure upgrades and expanded transit strategies.
- Residents in Liberty Village say they expect severe congestion during the event, with some planning to avoid driving altogether as concerns grow over traffic and transit capacity.
The City of Toronto says it has entered the final phase in World Cup preparations as the event approaches, but a new report is suggesting that the city is the least prepared to handle congestion risks.
The soccer tournament is set to kick off on June 12, and it is expected to bring 300,000 visitors from out of town to the city.
With the opening game now less than a month away, the City of Toronto announced earlier this week it has entered the final phase of preparations for the event.
The city has been leading a series of infrastructure upgrades to host the major event, including unveiling the new Toronto Stadium and Centennial Park training facilities.
In addition, it has unveiled a mobility plan, outlining strategies to support travel and minimize traffic impacts for the duration of the World Cup, which includes temporary road closures near Liberty Village and Fort York, as well as encouraging residents and visitors to take transit.
Last weekend, the city hosted a major game between Toronto FC and Inter Miami, featuring internationally-famous player Lionel Messi. As the game attracted thousands of visitors, Mayor Olivia Chow said the occasion was a “real life test” for the city’s preparedness for the World Cup.
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As preparations for the event begin to wrap up in the city, a report by Canadian technology company Geotab Inc. has ranked Toronto the least prepared out of all 16 World Cup host cities to handle major event pressure, including congestion and risky driving.
The report scored each city out of 10 based on road preparedness, vehicle idling time, driving safety, and how well cities managed past major events.
Based on all these aspects, Toronto received a score of 3.99, followed by Vancouver with 4.46 and Los Angeles with 4.76. In contrast, the best ranked cities included Foxborough in Massachusetts with an 8.01 score, Houston in Texas with a 7.66 score, and Mexico City with a score of 7.29.
Residents weigh in
Now Toronto took to the streets in Liberty Village to ask residents how prepared they feel the city is to handle the World Cup.
A Parkdale resident, Patrick M., who attended the Inter Miami–Toronto FC game last weekend, said it seemed like the city was doing a good job managing the crowd during the event, despite the “crazy” turnout.
Still, with his experience dealing with busy traffic in the area, he said he is still curious to know how the city will handle the event, saying he was not surprised the city was ranked last in the Geotab report.
“The traffic there’s already pretty crazy when they have the marathons going on the weekends…So I can’t imagine [what it would be when] we’re bringing in thousands and thousands more people who aren’t from the GTA flooding in,” he said.
Patrick said that he is already planning on leaving his car in the driveway throughout the World Cup to avoid the heavy traffic which he anticipates will be an issue during the event.
The resident also shared he believes Toronto might not be “the right place” to host an event of this magnitude, especially so close to the downtown core.
“I don’t know if Toronto is the right place for it. I mean, I like when things happen in our city. But I just don’t think the area [is ready],” he said. “I think it’s gonna be a sloppy mess.”
Another resident, Hannah T., recognized the city is putting up efforts to mitigate congestion during the event, including making infrastructure upgrades, boosting transit service, and closing up roads, but she isn’t sure it’s going to be enough.
“I know that they’re definitely making preparations. I also just know that it’s going to be very, very busy, and I know that we can only accommodate for so much chaos,” she said. “I’m hoping it all goes well.”
Similarly, David B. says he anticipates the city will have to deal with increased congestion when the time comes, in both transit systems and the roads.
“For most part, it’s going to be congested all around and we’re just gonna have to deal with it. That’s it,” he said.
“They should have private roads or private streets for when stuff comes to a World Cup. [The city should] have more TTC [service], more Ubers, more whatever, just so that we people will be able to get around.”
Local Joyce P. says she already experiences heavy traffic during her regular commute. But with the World Cup bringing thousands of people to the area, she expects it to be even worse.
“It’s terrible in the mornings and then after work. So, I think it’s gonna be really bad,” she said.
Given the newest report, Joyce says the city should have started on their preparations earlier, considering the size of the event.
“Maybe they did not start the preparation early, because this is the World Cup, so [the city should] start 10 years or five years before.”
