TORONTO – Mayoral candidate John Tory reiterated his plans to fight gridlock and improve commute times in Toronto at a press conference Tuesday morning.
Tory has already released his “Fighting Gridlock Initiative” in July which includes enforcing a zero tolerance policy for delivery vehicles blocking lanes on major arteries and implementing a “tow it” policy during rush hour.
The plan would also have Toronto police redeploy parking enforcement officers from residential neighbhourhoods to highly congested areas during rush hour, as well as studying the idea of having road work be completed on a 24 hour, seven-day a week basis.
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The idea of using better synchronized traffic light technology, adding express bus routes and queue-jumping bus lanes to key intersections is also promised.
Tory’s transit plan already includes his SmartTrack proposal which promises to use existing GO Train lines to shuffle commuters from the west-end of Toronto to all the way up to Markham.
The price tag to electrify the GO train lines and purchase new trains is estimated at $8 billion and take seven years to complete.
Fellow candidate Olivia Chow has also released her own campaign platform to tackle gridlock that includes further strengthening existing anti-gridlock rules, reducing unnecessary lane closures, expanding smart traffic light technology and having a better notification for road closures.
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These proposals are in addition to her plan to expand TTC bus service immediately during rush hour for an estimated price of $15 million, reverting the planned Scarborough subway extension back to light rail and bringing forth a Downtown Relief Line.
Prior to his health problem and stepping down in the election race, Rob Ford had primarily focused his attention on his underground expansion plan that would see 32 kilometres of new subways built across the city at a cost of $9 billion.
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