June 23, 2016
The City of Toronto is expanding its signal retiming program, updating an additional 357 signals on 17 corridors to improve the flow of traffic. By the end of 2017, approximately 1,500 traffic signals – about 60 per cent of the city's traffic signals – will be retimed.
As part of Mayor Tory’s six-point congestion management plan, signal retiming ensures signals are up-to-date and responsive to the needs of all road users. In 2015, signal retiming resulted in reduced travel times along 11 of the city’s busiest roads.
The 2015 program, which saw 337 signals re-timed on 11 key routes, resulted in the following estimated annual improvements:
• 8.1 per cent reduction in overall vehicle delay (860,000 hours) • 10.2 per cent reduction in stops (91,400,000) • 4.7 per cent reduction in fuel consumption (4,900,000 litres), and • 4.7 per cent reduction in vehicle emissions (117,000 kilograms of CO2 equivalent).
"The number one priority for Toronto residents is their ability to move around this city quickly and safely. We’re taking action to keep Toronto moving by targeting some of our most congested routes in the city," said Mayor John Tory. "Signal retiming is a low-cost, high-impact initiative to get people moving while ensuring public safety."
"Smarter traffic signals keep our streets moving for transit and drivers, while bringing down fuel consumption to help reduce the city's emissions and improving air quality for those who walk and bike in our city," said Councillor Jaye Robinson (Ward 25 Don Valley West), Chair of the City's Public Works and Infrastructure Committee.
Transportation Services has initiated the following projects as part of Phase Two of the congestion management plan:
• 35 cameras have been installed on arterial roads in 2016 to help improve traffic monitoring and incident response with 36 more to be added by the end of the year. This will allow the public to see construction on key routes including Eglinton Avenue. This brings the total number of cameras on city streets to 210 (major roads 164, expressways 46). These cameras can be viewed on the city's website at
http://www.toronto.ca/roadrestrictions.• A "smart" traffic signal systems pilot project will begin this fall, allowing signals to adapt to real-time traffic volumes and keep traffic moving.
• The Traffic Assistance Personnel (TAP) pilot project is on-going at eight locations. A further four weeks of the pilot will be conducted in the fall.
• Action plans are being developed for 10 congestion hot spots across the city. Analysis is complete at four of the locations with some short term measures implemented and longer term plans being scheduled.
Toronto is Canada's largest city, the fourth largest in North America, and home to a diverse population of about 2.8 million people. It is a global centre for business, finance, arts and culture and is consistently ranked one of the world's most livable cities. For information on non-emergency City services and programs, Toronto residents, businesses and visitors can visit
http://www.toronto.ca, call 311, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, or follow us @TorontoComms.
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Media contact:
Steve Johnston, Strategic Communications, 416-392-4391, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
