The City of Toronto launched a new MoveTO action plan which aims to help battle traffic congestion on the streets and increase safety.
The plan entails five key proposed actions: “Smart” traffic signals, “Intelligent” intersections, Advanced Transit Signal Priority (ATSP), continue and grow the Construction Hub Pilot Program and Transportation Demand Management Strategy.
According to the City, the five actions will aim “to reduce travel times and improve travel reliability for vehicles, improve safety and optimize movement for pedestrians and cyclists at intersections,” among other things.
“While Smart Signals focus largely on the efficient and safe movement of vehicles, Intelligent Intersections refers to a set of technologies that will allow the intersections to be more efficient, have lower delay for all road users, improve the safety of pedestrians and cyclists, as well as form the backbone of a modern multi-modal data and analytics system,” the report read.
Five hundred locations are being prosed for “smart” traffic signals, which are timed based on “actual traffic demand” while 100 “intelligent” intersections are being proposed, which aim to help pedestrians and cyclist safety, according to the City report.
“MoveTO will keep Toronto moving now and in the future,” said Mayor John Tory. “This plan will help the city better manage traffic congestion in Toronto and deploy smart, common sense approaches that will help pedestrians, cyclists, transit riders and drivers.
The total cost of MoveTO is estimated to be around $111.2 million between 2021 to 2025, with the bulk of the money going toward the new traffic signals.
The proposal will be considered at the Infrastructure and Environment Committee meeting on Nov. 5.
The full report can be viewed here.