'It took us 30 minutes to go a block': Will Ferrell on Toronto traffic
Fame may have its perks, but it won’t get you out of a traffic jam during the morning rush hour in Toronto.
Making their way to the Toronto International Film Festival on Wednesday, Will Ferrell said traffic delayed his and co-star Harper Steele's commute by at least half an hour.
“It took us 30 minutes to go a block,” Ferrell told Etalk. “It was rough,” said Steele.
Both hail from Los Angeles though, "so we’re used to it,” Ferrell added.
The Will & Harper co-stars aren’t the first notable visitors to comment on the city’s traffic problem.
In July, Irish singer and former member of One Direction Niall Horan had to ditch his car and walk to Scotiabank Arena for his own concert because the traffic was “too bad” downtown.
“The traffic’s too bad in Toronto, so we’re walking to the venue,” Horan can be heard saying in a video posted to Instagram detailing his short trip on foot to the stadium.
About two weeks later, an Australian race car driver headed to the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy nearly missed his press conference due to traffic. He too had to ditch his vehicle.
“I actually rented a bike to get here on time and then ran the rest of the way,” Lochie Hughes told reporters.
Traffic has long been a problem for Toronto, one that the city says its working to address. On Thursday, Mayor Olivia Chow told reporters that the new congestion management plan has been successful so far in reducing gridlock, pointing to improving travel times for drivers and transit riders in some of the city's most congested areas.
“We do know that the economic impact of congestion – $11 billion a year – is severe, which is why we've been working relentlessly and tirelessly to improve the traffic and find ways to get people moving faster,” Chow said at the news conference, held at the busy intersection of Front Street and Spadina Avenue.
Trumpeting faster recent travel times on Spadina Avenue, the Gardiner Expressway and King Street – all routes which have sparked the ire of transit riders and motorists recently – Chow said the city’s efforts to manage congestion “are working.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Canadian musician Jacob Hoggard found not guilty of sexual assault
Canadian musician Jacob Hoggard has been found not guilty of sexually assaulting a young woman in northeastern Ontario eight years ago. The former Hedley frontman had pleaded not guilty to sexual assault.
Police arrest Toronto woman in connection with three recent homicides
Police have arrested a Toronto woman in connection with three recent homicides and investigators say that they believe two of the victims may have been 'randomly targeted.'
Following child's death in Ontario, here's what you need to know about rabies and bats
An Ontario child died last month after coming into contact with a rabid bat in their bedroom, which was the first known human rabies case in Canada since 2019.
A French judge in a shocking rape case allows the public to see some of the video evidence
A French judge in the trial of dozens of men accused of raping an unconscious woman whose now former husband had repeatedly drugged her so that he and others could assault her decided on Friday to allow the public to see some of the video recordings of the alleged rapes.
Former Colorado county clerk Tina Peters sentenced to 9 years for voting data scheme
A judge ripped into a Colorado county clerk for her crimes and lies before sentencing her Thursday to nine years behind bars for a data-breach scheme spawned from the rampant false claims about voting machine fraud in the 2020 presidential race.
NDP house leader laments 'agents of chaos' in precarious Parliament
NDP House leader Peter Julian says there's more his party wants to do in Parliament before the next election, but if the current dysfunction continues it will become a factor in how they vote on a confidence measure.
Youth pleads guilty to manslaughter in death of P.E.I. teen Tyson MacDonald
A teen charged with the murder of another teen on Prince Edward Island last year has pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of manslaughter.
Here's what the jury didn't hear in Jacob Hoggard's sexual assault trial
A northeastern Ontario jury has started deliberating in Canadian musician Jacob Hoggard's sexual assault trial, we can now tell you what they weren't allowed to hear.
2 dead after fire rips through historic building in Old Montreal
At least two people are dead and others are injured after a fire ripped through a century-old building in Old Montreal early Friday morning, sources told Noovo Info.