In 2024, Burnaby's transportation landscape is dominated by car usage, with a significant portion of the population relying on personal vehicles for their daily commutes. Public transportation, including buses and trains, plays a secondary role, offering alternatives for those seeking to avoid the inefficiencies of road traffic.

Average Commute Times

The average commute involves 1 minute of waiting, 16.33 minutes of driving, and covers a distance of 12.38 km.
  • Bus - Bus commuters spend about 10 minutes waiting and 15 minutes on the bus, with a total travel distance of 7 km.
  • Car - Car users typically drive for 19.6 minutes and walk for 0.7 minutes, covering 13.16 km.
  • Train - Train commuters experience 2 minutes of waiting, 20 minutes on the train, and 10 minutes walking, traveling a total of 10 km.
Traffic Breakdown
Car
83%
Train
8%
Bus
8%
Seasonal Trends

Traffic congestion tends to increase during the winter months due to adverse weather conditions affecting road safety. Summer sees a slight reduction in traffic as residents take vacations, reducing the number of daily commuters.

Commuter Pain Points

High dependency on cars leads to frequent traffic jams, especially during peak hours. Limited public transport options result in longer wait times and less flexibility for commuters.

Best Travel Times

Commuters are advised to travel before 7 AM or after 7 PM to avoid peak traffic congestion. Midday travel between 11 AM and 2 PM is generally smoother with less traffic.

Event Impacts

Public events at Burnaby's major venues can cause significant traffic delays, particularly around the Metrotown area. Residents are encouraged to use public transport during large events to minimize congestion.

Sustainability Efforts

Burnaby is investing in electric vehicle charging stations to promote the use of eco-friendly cars. The city is also expanding its cycling lanes to encourage more residents to opt for bicycles over cars.

Ride-Sharing Impact

Ride-sharing services have helped reduce the number of cars on the road, offering a flexible alternative to personal vehicle use. These services are particularly popular among younger commuters who prefer not to own a car.

Worldwide
Canada

Traffic Rankings

The Traffic Index for Canada combines user-contributed data on commute times, traffic dissatisfaction, CO2 emissions, and traffic system inefficiencies in Canada, to provide insights into overall traffic conditions.

Worst to BestUpdated: Jan, 2025
Full Traffic Rankings

Traffic Data

The following traffic data has been gathered from 12 user contributions.
Overall average travel
Distance
7.7 miles
Walking
1.9 mins
Waiting
1.0 mins
Driving Car
16.3 mins
Bus / Trolley
2.1 mins
Train
1.7 mins
Total:
23.0 mins
Average when primarily using Bus
Distance
4.3 miles
Walking
6.0 mins
Waiting
10.0 mins
Bus / Trolley
15.0 mins
Total:
31.0 mins
Average when primarily using Car
Distance
8.2 miles
Walking
0.7 mins
Driving Car
19.6 mins
Total:
20.3 mins
Average when primarily using Train
Distance
6.2 miles
Walking
10.0 mins
Waiting
2.0 mins
Bus / Trolley
10.0 mins
Train
20.0 mins
Total:
42.0 mins
Burnaby Traffic

"Key Takeaways"

Encouraging the use of public transportation could significantly reduce CO2 emissions and traffic inefficiencies.

Investing in infrastructure for alternative transportation modes like cycling could diversify commuting options.

Key Indexes

Emissions

Burnaby's CO2 emissions index is notably high at 4461.33, reflecting the heavy reliance on cars.

Efforts to reduce emissions could focus on promoting public transport and reducing car dependency.

Time

The average commute time in Burnaby is 23 minutes, indicating moderate traffic congestion.

Time inefficiencies are primarily due to high car usage and limited public transport options.

Inefficiency

The traffic inefficiency index stands at 78.31, suggesting room for improvement in traffic management.

Enhancing public transport infrastructure could alleviate some of these inefficiencies.