Council approves new plan to ease Toronto congestion, create 'traffic czar'
City staff admit new measures won’t eliminate congestion, but say they are a step in the right direction
Toronto city council approved a slew of measures Wednesday — including the future appointment of a "traffic czar" — to deal with traffic congestion, something that's been a major headache across the city.
The meeting saw councillors share their local traffic gripes, much of which stemmed from ongoing construction, which city officials have identified as the leading cause of worsening traffic.
Here's what's being done in 2025:
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Using new technology to move people more efficiently.
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Helping transit move faster.
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Increasing on-the-ground traffic management at specific intersections.
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Implementing a strategy for traffic around special events.
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Planning and co-ordinating city-wide construction projects.
If you're thinking, "that won't fix it," you're right.
City staff admit these recommendations "will not eliminate congestion," and rather are the next steps to managing the situation.
Why it matters
Gridlock costs the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA) $44.7 billion a year in economic and social value, which includes lost productivity and reductions to commuters' quality of life, according to a December study by the Canadian Centre for Economic Analysis. It was commissioned by the Residential and Civil Construction Alliance of Ontario and the Ontario Road Builders' Association.
What is a traffic 'czar' and who will it be?
Mayor Olivia Chow introduced a successful motion asking city manager Paul Johnson to establish the new position of a traffic "czar," who would lead Toronto's congestion strategy.
Although the city already has a director of traffic management, the new role would take more of a big picture approach to the issue. The "czar" would focus on creative solutions involving multiple city divisions to reduce congestion, while preemptively identifying challenges.
Coun. Brad Bradford said Chow should be appointing the role herself, so she can be held accountable on traffic results, and introduced an unsuccessful motion to that effect.
"With strong mayor powers she could set up this office today. She could even appoint somebody today," he said.
In response, Chow said while she leads Toronto, she can't also be city manager.
The city manager will report back on the role to the city's infrastructure and environment committee in June.
Making construction delays pay
Toronto is the busiest construction city in North America, according to the staff report before council. At its peak last summer, construction caused the temporary closure of 24 per cent of all city roads.
The city is now charging construction companies more money for shutting down lanes of traffic. The current fees, which came into effect this month, charge companies a $76.15 application fee, then $40.71 per 50 metres, per day, for shutting down a lane of a major road.
The city will raise those fees using road closure data from this summer, in an effort to push companies to wrap construction faster.
Affordable housing projects and street events will be exempt from the fees.
How much revenue will that bring the city?
Advocating for the increased fees, Mayor Chow mentioned a construction project that closed down lanes on a 4.5-kilometre stretch of Lake Shore Boulevard for nearly a month. She said the construction company paid about $5,000 for the closure.
"Starting this month, every day this company closed down the Lake Shore, they will pay more," she said. "The faster they do their work, the less they pay."
Under the new fees, Chow said the company would now pay roughly $287,000 to close down the same stretch for the same amount of time.
Staff told council the fees were already leading companies to try to wrap construction ahead of schedule to save costs.
That money will go back to the city's congestion-fighting efforts.
Freeing up transit
The updated plan will look at how to expand transit signal priority — where Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) vehicles get longer green lights — to all high-ridership corridors.
The city will also look at adding signal priority along the above-ground section of the Eglinton LRT when it opens.
City staff will also be directed to work on a plan with Toronto police and the TTC to "significantly reduce" the number of streetcar delays caused by improperly parked vehicles that block transit. That may include higher fines, increased enforcement and faster timeframes for towing.
Additionally, the city's going to spend just over $400,000 for a "Smart Commute Program" for one year. More on that here.
What about bike lanes?
Coun. Gord Perks asked transportation head Barbara Gray if she'd read about an injunction an Ontario judge granted Tuesday to block the removal of several major bike lanes.
Gray confirmed she had. After more questions from Perks, Gray said bike lanes don't increase congestion – at least, not to a level that can't be dealt with by changing traffic signal timing – and also make the roadway safer.
You can read more about the injunction here.
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