It's mostly a fault of the road system. Especially with the Hastings which cuts through the GTV area. Square grids that keeps on cutting into a center artery isn't a very efficient uses of space. It creates a single point of failure in the system. Hong Kong has some of those as well but redundancy in the road system is made very apparent. Vancouver got some right ideas. For example the Ironworker bridge and the Stanley Park connection to North Van creates a redundancy route in case one is backed up. However that redundancy funnels travel right through the heart of the city which is just a recipe for chaos.

Low density is great for residential quality of life but for commercial and industrial, the low density just extends the commute unnecessarily.

If the city can be remodeled. A new highway that runs along the coast of Vancouver needs to be built that runs from Port Moody towards Vancouver proper with an offshoot towards Dollarton highway. In Hong Kong there's the West Tunnel, the "Red Tunnel" and the "East Tunnel". Whenever one is clogged, traffic can be rerouted somewhat. One of them is still clogged because it's he artery between two major hubs but the bypasses are there when needed.

Vancouver needs more redundancy and bypasses to take the pressure off the main arteries of Trans Canada 1 and Hastings.

Hongkonger?