WATCH: Mayor Tory isn’t able to say how much time $9 million in congestion-fighting measures will shave off your commute but he’s ‘confident ... it will make a difference.’ pic.twitter.com/yDKkWvKVLs
— NEWSTALK1010 (@NEWSTALK1010) February 6, 2018
City councillors on Mayor John Tory's Executive Committee get one last look at the city's latest budget proposal before it heads for a final vote next week at Council.
Tory says the property tax increase for the year ahead will be kept at or below the rate of inflation.
Key to the Mayor's budget promises are proposals that, if passed, are intended help commuters get to and from work more quickly.
The Mayor says more than $9 million is set aside in the city’s latest budget proposal to spend on measures aimed at improving the flow of traffic.
That includes $1.6 million to hire 16 civilian ‘Traffic Wardens’ to break up rush hour bottlenecks at intersections and $2.7 million to buy upgraded, 'smart' traffic signals.
There’s also $477,000 earmarked to bring in 2 extra so-called ‘quick-clear squads,’ which are dedicated crews tasked with clearing blocked lanes on the Gardiner Expressway & Don Valley Parkway.
Tory set up a test run of the Traffic Warden program by having paid-duty police officers direct traffic at gridlocked intersections.
He has said that the results showed there was "a 90 per cent reduction" in intersections blocked by vehicles, and "a 70 per cent reduction" in tie-ups caused by pedestrians.
The city presently has two of the 'quick-clear squads' working along the expressways, clearing stalled cars and minor collisions.
While Tory says he's confident that cementing and expanding these measures will be worth their estimated $9 million price tag, he isn't able to say exactly how much time they might save the average commuter.
"Its hard for me to measure that in minutes," Tory admits.
"We wouldn't be doing it if it didn't make a difference ... I think people are going to notice."
He adds that city staff will monitor traffic patterns to see what affect the measures have.
The Mayor points out that plans like these are only 'a temporary solution' to Toronto's issues with traffic jams and that expanding public transit is his long-term goal.
Tory campaigned for the Mayor's office partly on a promise to combat congestion.