The latest goal to lower the time drivers sit doing nothing in Toronto traffic was unveiled Thursday by Mayor John Tory, in a five-point plan to significantly increase the number of smart traffic lights and intersections over the next five years.
"Traffic is indeed coming back, volumes have been building back steadily, daily volumes for example have doubled downtown in recent months, although they are still below normal levels from pre-pandemic times," Tory said. "It means we can't stop with our work to try to improve how we manage traffic in our city."
In a new report, city staff recommend a $100 million investment in the MoveTO plan, with key planks on expanding smart technology.
It includes 500 new smart traffic signals, which adjust signal timing based on real-time demand, as well as 100 new intelligent intersections, where data collected by cameras adjusts driving and walking times as well.
Tory says the signals would be installed over the next five years, but 34 would happen immediately, based on pilot projects on Sheppard Avenue and Yonge St, with priority roads including York Mills Road, Sheppard, Yonge, Lakeshore Blvd and Lawrence Avenue.
For the intersections, key corridors in the downtown would include King, Bloor, Richmond, Dundas and Front, Tory said.
Director of Traffic Management Roger Browne said the camera recordings would not be stored in any central agency, nor would the data sold to any third parties.
Other parts of the plan include extending green lights when necessary to accommodate transit vehicles running behind schedule, continuing the city's Construction Hub Pilot program and working with employers to develop commuting strategies.
"What we're trying to reduce here is the number of people who are just sitting," Tory said. "When they're just sitting, literally sitting still in traffic moving at 2 km/h or not moving at all, they are contributing to a bad environment."
"There's always going to be traffic," he said. "The idea is to move in a more consistent matter."
On the concern of balancing pedestrian safety, Tory noted the city has lowered speed limits in 800 different locations in the last year.
The city and police have also recently redeveloped a traffic enforcement management team to monitor speeding and other traffic violations in the city.
As for volumes returning back to normal, Browne said the city is about 20 per cent shy of pre-pandemic traffic levels.
"The big issue is more the fact of the traffic patterns being irregular," he said. "You may go to a particular area within the city and find it to be very heavily congested when you wouldn't expect it to be."
Tory added downtown traffic is returning back to normal faster than volume on transitways.