Toronto traffic woes: Indy driver rents bicycle, then runs to get to track

The notoriety surrounding the sluggish streets of Toronto continues to grow as one of the world’s top drivers was forced to hop on a bike get to work.

This weekend, Toronto will play host to the Honda Indy, an annual event that sees race cars reach speeds of up to 200 km/h on roads like Lake Shore Boulevard as they zoom down the Exhibition Place Street Circuit.

Those speeds are a far cry from what one of this weekend’s drivers faced as he made his way to the office on Thursday.

“I got stuck in traffic as well, so I actually rented a bike to get here in time and then ran the rest of the way,” driver Lochie Hughes told reporters.

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Despite the trek, the Aussie says it feels like home to be in Toronto.

“It’s cool just to be outside along the water. That reminds me a little of back home in Australia,” he said.

He also praised his accommodations, noting that his hotel had Smarties, which also reminded him of his native land.

Residents of Toronto were already dealing with regular closures for construction, and now the Indy has also closed Strachan Avenue and Lakeshore Boulevard for the weekend.

Hughes is not the only celebrity who has had to look for alternative means of transportation in Toronto as of late.

At the end of June, former One Direction star Niall Horan posted a video to X, formerly Twitter, that showed him jumping out of his car to get to Scotiabank Arena for a concert.

Horan was performing in Toronto on June 29 and 30 when he received a taste of the city’s traffic.

The video begins with the singer looking into the camera and saying, “Traffic’s too bad in Toronto, so we’re walking to the venue.”

He then begins his walk under the Gardiner Expressway, as a cover version of the Proclaimers song I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles) begins to play. The cover song is performed by Horan and James Cordon during an appearance on The Late Late Show.

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