Deborah Baic/The Globe and Mail

General Manager, City of Toronto Transportation Services

We’re looking to provide personalized information [for drivers]. If we can provide alerts, they have the option of staying later, taking a different mode or taking a different route. I could envision us doing something where [if you drive] maybe northbound DVP from 4 to 6 p.m., if there’s something out of the norm we would give you a text alert.

I’d love to see if we can build on the GO alerts system. What we’d do is roll it out for the Don Valley and the Gardiner as our test. Then we would look to slowly expand it. I think it’s important that whatever we do, we do it on a regional basis and not have Markham doing one thing and the MTO another and Toronto another.

It will cost money. Starting it will likely be in the millions of dollars, and maintaining it would probably be in the millions per year. However, we have a multibillion-dollar problem, so I think this would a worthwhile investment.