People are avoiding Toronto during FIFA World Cup: poll

A new poll finds that most readers plan to avoid Toronto during the FIFA World Cup this month.

Canada is hosting 13 games during the FIFA World Cup, with six games in Toronto and seven in Vancouver. An estimated 300,000 visitors were expected to come to Toronto during the tournament.

The City of Toronto provided an information page on the games, noting traffic congestion is expected to be the busiest on match days between 3 p.m. and 7 p.m.

The first match was on Friday, and two more are scheduled this week on Wednesday, June 17 and Saturday, June 20.

Road closures could impact travel times, and additional people trying to get to the games could mean packed transit.

So residents in Mississauga, Brampton, Halton and Durham who don’t have to be in the city may choose to avoid it. Fans can view the games at watch parties in Durham Region or Brampton, away from the crowds and traffic jams in the city.

And it seems most INsauga.com readers want to avoid the World Cup crowds in Toronto.

INsauga asked Are you planning to visit Toronto during the World Cup?

As of June 16, the majority of readers, 3,342 (89.07 per cent) said no, they won’t take a trip downtown during the soccer tournament. Another 292 (7.78 per cent) said yes, they will visit Toronto. And 118 (3.14 per cent) were undecided.

FIFA continues until July 19 so there is still a chance to catch a game or a festival event. See more here.

Lead photo: OhanaUnited