WATCH: Mayor Tory says it’s time to put the people of Toronto first and make multiple road closures a thing of the past.
TORONTO – Mayor John Tory wants organizers of large events such as marathons and festivals to rethink how they schedule and locate their activities in order to reduce traffic congestion in the city.
“This is not a simple process but we can make them less of a problem by working with applicants who are sponsoring events to move them around the city,” Tory told reporters Friday following a meeting with the newly created Road Closure Coordination Working Group.
Tory said rescheduling events for 2015 may be difficult as many plans have already been solidified, but discussions can take place for 2016.
“We may have to say to people to have it somewhere else or another time,” Tory said.
Tory mentioned he also wants better signage and notification for motorists when large events are scheduled on weekends.
Meanwhile, part of the discussions during the road closure working group meeting also included providing “incentives or disincentives” for private construction companies to limit the amount of lanes and time taken up for projects in downtown Toronto.
Tory also wants to have a conversation with gas and telecom companies on underground service work they provide which causes lane restrictions and traffic delays.
He hopes to have road restrictions limited to a certain time of day when traffic is less frequent.
Since taking office in December, Tory has been on a mission tackling the city’s gridlock problem.
Some of the measures already announced included beefing up traffic enforcement, allowing all-door boarding on the King Street streetcar, and reducing construction time on the Gardiner Expressway.
Tory said the road closure working group will meet again in early January for further discussions.
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