The City Council of Toronto, ON has unanimously approved the MoveTO action plan which is designed to help manage congestion and build a more resilient, modern and safe transportation system – particularly in response to the effects of COVID-19 on Toronto’s overall transportation network.
The MoveTO plan contains five key measures to be launched starting next year:
- ‘Smart’ traffic signals – automatically adjusted signal timing based on actual traffic demand;
- ‘Intelligent’ intersections – to help improve safety at intersections for pedestrians and cyclists;
- Advanced Transit Signal Priority (ATSP) – 100 additional units that detect buses running behind schedule and extend green times when necessary;
- Construction Hub Pilot Program expansion – a program which helps manage traffic and reduce congestion caused by construction around work zones, improves communication with the local community, and keeps people safe; and,
- Transportation Demand Management Strategy – a set of measures to help avoid congestion at specific times, locations, and on certain modes of transportation.
The overall aim of the strategies aim is to reduce travel times and improve travel reliability for vehicles, improve safety and optimize movement for pedestrians and people on bikes at intersections, improve transit operations, coordinate construction activities to minimize impacts to the transportation network and improve safety, and help employers to reduce travel demand and greenhouse gas emissions.
“MoveTO will help keep people moving safely throughout Toronto. This plan delivers smart, common-sense approaches that will help pedestrians, cyclists, transit riders, and drivers get around our city. I have urged City staff to have the technology in place as quickly as possible to make sure we have a more modern and safer transportation system as soon as possible that responds and adapts to traffic in real time. These are solutions that can improve quality of life for people in Toronto,” said Mayor John Tory.