The Congestion Management Plan 2023 - 2026 was presented at the October 2023 Infrastructure and Environment Committee and then subsequently to Council in November 2023. This report addresses a number of additional items that City Council has requested Transportation Services report back on since the adoption of the original report. Toronto continues to be the busiest city in all North America in terms of construction due to increased private development activity, major infrastructure renewal and the implementation of higher order transit. While the economic benefits of growth will deliver long term value to the residents and businesses in the city, the impacts of construction are having a direct impact on network capacity and neighborhood mobility. Since the end of the pandemic, construction activity has been exacerbated by changes in travel patterns due to hybrid work and a resurgence of people attending events on the weekends. In short, construction has increased, travel patterns and habits have changed, the city population continues to grow and, as a result, overall congestion is having a significant impact on people's daily lives and travel. Managing congestion in a city the size and scale of Toronto requires comprehensive and nimble approaches to planning and coordination, including bringing data and analytics to articulate the causes of congestion and implement strategic approaches-both tested and innovative-to manage impacted areas. This report identifies additional strategic measures and coordinating efforts to effectively address traffic flow, streamline construction activities and accommodate the demands of a growing urban population. There are several systemic changes being introduced at the September 27 Infrastructure & Environment Committee meeting to help manage citywide congestion and construction coordination, including this report as well as the Enhancing Capital Infrastructure Program Coordination report. These two reports are further supported by actions that Engineering and Construction Services is taking to enhance capital delivery and contract management for large municipal infrastructure projects. A report on these initiatives will be advanced in the first quarter of 2025. As part of this shared and collaborative effort, this report provides updates on five key impactful actions being led by Transportation Services that will more effectively manage congestion in the near term and set a strong foundation for the future: - Plans for better coordination and control over construction activities on the right-of-way and strategy for cost-recovery of traffic congestion mitigation efforts - Upcoming measures for automated enforcement to mitigate bylaw infractions, such as the blockage of signalized intersections and illegal blockage of bike lanes and illegal use of dedicated transit lanes. - Next steps for the Traffic Agent Program and Continued support from the Toronto Police Traffic Direction Pilot - New evaluation framework and methodology for reviewing and approving permits for Special Events - Increasing fines in support of congestion and safety Attachment 4 outlines the timelines and expected outcomes of each action towards better managing congestion. In addition to the key measures listed above, this report also proposes a plan for a new Artificial Intelligence-based traffic simulation modelling strategy that will assist in assessing the impacts of proposed construction or special event related road closures, recommend traffic mitigation plans and provide the ability to measure the impacts of the road closures. It is anticipated that the predicted impacts could be used in the future to better inform charges for road occupation in the new cost-recovery framework. While the recommendations in this report will not eliminate congestion, they provide a more robust toolkit of coordination practices, technology enhancements and “boots on the ground” solutions to actively manage the ongoing pressures of growth and development that continues to shape our city.
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