Toronto outlines latest plan to manage unprecedented traffic congestion
New report recommends expanding existing 'construction hubs,' creating 3 new ones
Toronto's director of traffic management says his staff wants to "leverage the latest and greatest technology" and expand on established techniques to combat what it calls unprecedented gridlock in the city.
Roger Browne outlined his department's new plan to ease traffic headaches at a news conference on Wednesday.
"We are anticipating and planning for increases in traffic congestion as critical construction continues and even more gets underway," Browne said, adding that Toronto currently has more ongoing projects than any other North American city.
"These things that we are going to be pursuing over the coming months, pending council approval, are things that are tried, tested and true in other jurisdictions. We have been doing a lot of consultations with big cities like New York and Los Angeles, which have already started using some of this technology that Toronto's never seen," he told reporters.
Among that technology are the latest generation of smart traffic signals, which rely on artificial intelligence and a torrent of real-time data to keep traffic — including vehicles, public transit, cyclists and pedestrians — moving as easily as possible, Browne said.
Smart signals have already been installed at 59 intersections throughout the city, according to a report from Transportation Services that will go to council's infrastructure and environment committee next week. Another 30 intersections will be added by year's end, the report says, including on Sheppard Avenue East, Kingston Road, The Queensway East and Lake Shore Boulevard West.
Staff push for real-time info
The city already earmarked some $39 million for the deployment of smart signals in the 2023 budget. The report notes another $45.9 million will be requested through the budget process in coming years as costs of the program are refined.
Staff also want to roll out a new program that would require construction sites to have clearly posted QR codes that can be scanned with a smartphone to get real-time information on projects. That includes the company doing the work, the nature and duration of closures, and a 24/7 emergency contact number, the report says.
Transportation Services is also working to update its road restrictions website with more information about impacts to road, pedestrian and cycling infrastructure.
Meanwhile, the report recommends that the city continue to work with the Toronto Police Service on an interim basis to have officers actively manage key intersections during high-volume periods. The city itself has 12 dedicated traffic agents, with another 15 expected to start by the end of November, Browne said. By March, the city hopes to have 45 traffic agents in the field.
WATCH | Shawn Jeffords breaks down Toronto's new traffic management plan:
But a lengthy recruitment and onboarding process means Toronto needs to rely on the police service, which has officers trained in traffic management, to "fill the gaps" for now, Browne said. There are simply too many busy intersections, he added.
The report cites earlier studies that showed traffic agents are an effective tool to ease congestion.
"The presence of a traffic agent eliminated instances of vehicles blocking the intersection 96 per cent of the time," it notes. "More recently, measurements at intersections with traffic agents have revealed a 33 per cent reduction in travel time and a 25 per cent increase in throughput of cars traveling through the intersection."
Expanding construction hubs
The report also recommends that four existing "construction hubs" be expanded while three news ones be created.
The hubs are defined as "areas with concentrated overlapping construction projects" and there are currently six designated throughout the city. Staff are asking that the downtown, east harbour, Lake Shore West and Yonge-Eglinton hubs be made bigger.
Work applications within the hubs have a specific fee structure, as the city dedicates additional resources to traffic management within their boundaries.
The report calls for new hubs in the wards of Etobicoke Lakeshore, Willowdale and Beaches-East York.
Coun. Brad Bradford, who represents Beaches-East York, said the traffic congestion plan is overdue.
"I'd say it's encouraging that we have a report in front of us that is starting to take congestion and traffic in the city seriously. The construction hubs, the additional resources, I think all of that will be helpful. But at the end of the day, we need a culture change in this building and with this administration that prioritizes moving people and goods in the city," Bradford said.
Coun. Paula Fletcher, who represents Toronto-Danforth, said the report is an necessary update of earlier traffic management strategies, but the city needs to gather feedback from people using city roads every day.
"My bottom line is, yes, we live in a big city. Yes, it's going to be a problem getting around. But here's what people think that would make it easier and reduce their frustration because being frustrated is pretty standard here when you are moving around the city."
With files from Shawn Jeffords