Where Vancouver ranks among the most driver-friendly cities worldwide

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – Anyone who drives in the Lower Mainland is used to the congestion and constant back-ups trying to get from one place to another, not to mention dealing with the potentially irate drivers on the road. However, there’s a silver lining to all that as a new study points out it could be much worse. It finds Vancouver specifically ranks right in the middle of the pack when it comes to the best and worst cities in the world for drivers.

STUDY FACTS

• Calgary has the lowest level of air pollution of the cities included, followed by Ottawa and Seattle
• Seven of the top 10 most polluted cities are in Asia, four of the bottom 10 least polluted cities are in Canada
• New York has the most expensive parking in the world, costing $27.61 for one hour in the city centre

 

“Cars are an important accessory of modern life, and the means by which many use to get from A to B. Yet poor urban planning or a lack of civil education can make driving the most stressful experience of somebody’s day,” says Thomas Kloubert, CMO of kfzteile24. “We hope that this study will act as a catalyst for those cities in the negative end of the ranking to invest in safer, cleaner and more efficient roads, and consider how methods adopted by higher scoring cities can be utilised in their own locations.”

The study was carried out by an online car parts retailer in Germany and it found low congestion, good public transport options and high road quality are just a few reasons why Vancouver placed 48th out of 100 cities.

Dusseldforf, Germany was ranked atop the list while Calgary was the top Canadian city coming in at 10th.

The research also looked at a city’s average vehicle age, cost of parking and fuel as well as average speed.

Earlier this year a report from traffic analytics firm INRIX found drivers in Vancouver spent up to 30 hours last year stuck in traffic. The city ranking fifth of the 20 Canadian cities the firm looked at.