An Updated Congestion Management Plan
In 2013, a C.D. Howe report estimated that congestion and gridlock could be costing our City up to $11 billion dollars annually in lost productivity – a number that has likely grown significantly since the report's publication. Over my time at City Hall, I have championed evidence-based, innovative strategies to manage gridlock and reduce delays through a comprehensive, coordinated plan.
This month, City staff presented an updated Congestion Management Plan (CMP) to the Infrastructure and Environment Committee. Since its introduction in 2014, the CMP has been refocused to better address changing priorities and emerging issues on several occasions, including in 2015 when I served as Chair of Public Works and Infrastructure.
As noted in the staff report, Toronto is currently facing an unprecedented number of construction-related road closures – in fact, we are currently the busiest city in all of North America with respect to construction activity. To address this growing issue, the updated CMP includes more comprehensive traffic management strategies to mitigate the impacts of congestion.
The 2023-2026 CMP focuses on four key objectives:
Construction Coordination: Leverage technology to better coordinate construction and expand the Construction Hub Program.
Traffic Management Team: Establish a dedicated team to work with stakeholders to improve traffic management planning for major events and ongoing construction.
Surface Transit Support: Provide more traffic management support for surface transit vehicles to reduce the impacts of construction-related route diversions.
Intelligent Transportation Systems: Explore new technology including Artificial Intelligence and Internet-of-Things to optimize traffic signal operations and expand "smart" traffic signals to 30 additional intersections in 2023.
Encouragingly, the updated CMP recommends a significant expansion of the Yonge-Eglinton Construction Hub, which helps to manage the volume of construction activity in this busy part of Ward 15 – Don Valley West. I have strongly supported this program since its establishment in 2019 to mitigate the safety and transportation impacts of overlapping major construction projects.
The Congestion Management Plan 2023-2026 was adopted by the Infrastructure and Environment Committee on October 25 and will be considered by City Council at the November 8, 9, & 10 meeting.
