WATCH ABOVE: A new survey commissioned by the City of Toronto finds poor transportation and traffic are the most important issues for residents. Mark McAllister reports.
TORONTO- Torontonians have been warned: the Pan Am/Para Pan Am Games are coming, and so too is more congestion and gridlock.
But a new survey from the City of Toronto has found that traffic is already top-of-mind for residents.
The survey, conducted by Ipsos in April, found that 22 per cent of Torontonians believe the “most important” issues in the city are poor transportation and transit, while 20 per cent say traffic congestion and gridlock.
WATCH: Be prepared for traffic delays: Pan Am officials
It also found that 52 per cent of Toronto residents believe it’s getting much or somewhat harder to get around in Toronto.
66 per cent think construction is to blame, while 56 per cent say it’s road congestion.
60 per cent said they would show more patience if they were more aware of construction start and end dates.
WATCH: Tory wants event organizers to help prevent repeated road closures
That’s something the Road Closures Coordination Committee says it’s tackling. Mayor John Tory chairs the committee.
He said “In January, the City implemented a six-point congestion plan to get this city moving.”
“Through road closures coordination, accelerating construction, and letting Toronto residents know about road closures as soon as possible, we will make a real impact on our ability to get around, get to work and get home to our families.”
Just hours after releasing the survey, the city announced it will begin using traffic data to minimize congestion and the mayor spoke to reporters about some other initiatives.
The city says it is partnering with Evergreen CityWorks to deliver TrafficJam from October 2 to 4. TrafficJam is described as “a 48-hour hackathon that will leverage open data to create new ideas, tools and resources that will be used to ease congestion and get Toronto moving.”
On Friday Tory said the city is moving ahead as fast as it can with new technology. He said 40 new traffic cameras have been installed near Pan Am and Para Pan Am venues, which will allow officials to monitor traffic.
The mayor also said the road closure website is a long-term project, to give residents more up-to-date information about current traffic.
Tory said the city is taking small steps forward, but the problems won’t be fixed overnight, and added that the traffic issues are the result of city infrastructure falling behind for many years.
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