Will Hogtown Traffic Get Less Congested?

TORONTO- Newly-elected Toronto Mayor John Tory has six changes that he claims will ease up Big Smoke’s gridlock, according to reports.

What’s coming down the road:

  1. More aggressive towing policy: As of Jan. 1, vehicles blocking major routes in rush hours will be towed, no exceptions. There will be “zero tolerance” Tory said, adding that he will work with Police Chief Bill Blair to enforce the rule. The policy will take effect after a one-month adjustment period.
  2. Retime more traffic lights: Toronto had planned to retime 250 traffic signals in 2015 to quicken the process, but Tory upped that to 350 signals. He also said the city will test signal technology that senses traffic flow in real-time more quickly.
  3. Stop closing lanes: It’s going to get more expensive for private developers to close traffic lanes, which could mean more lanes will remain open. There will also be a more strict criteria for limiting traffic.
  4. More cameras: Hogtown will add another 40 cameras to monitor traffic and communicate with Toronto police on collisions in 2015. Another 60 will be added in 2016, Tory said. The mayor even suggested a media partnership where traffic-spotting helicopters would feed video footage directly to the city’s traffic management center.
  5. Longer work hours for construction projects: Construction hours will be extended from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. on public-sector construction projects in an attempt to speed up their completion and thus, prevent long road closures.
  6. Better road closure reporting: For the next six months, Tory will personally participate in the city’s road closing co-ordination committee in an effort to improve the process.


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