Increasing congestion and decreasing road safety have become a growing problem in Toronto, and more people are taking notice of the issue. As part of a greater plan to ease congestion and improve safety on city roads and highways, The City of Toronto has renovated and upgraded its Transportation Operations Centre at Don Mills and Overlea Blvd to help modernize the facility. The operations centre was unveiled to the media by City officials earlier today, and we were there to check out the high-tech facility.

Inside of the transportation operations centre, image by Jack Landau

New technology now allows operators to monitor more traffic cameras on its video wall, with the capacity to monitor more than 200 cameras at one time - a huge improvement from the previous wall, which could only monitor about 60 cameras at once. This enables operators to see traffic as it moves along city expressways and main roads, while allowing for future growth of the system as the City places more cameras on main roads over time.

Wall of monitors at the transportation operations centre, image by Jack Landau





This project is a part of the City's overall congestion management plan, which was outlined this morning by Stephen Buckley, General Manager of The City of Toronto's Transportation Services. The plan involves the re-evaluation and co-ordination of approximately 1,000 traffic signals, installation of 100 traffic cameras on arterial roads and the addition of 13 variable message signs along the Don Valley Parkway, the Gardiner Expressway and Lake Shore Boulevard. The plan also includes the extension of peak-period parking regulations and turn prohibitions on selected roads such as Queen Street and King Street to help improve surface transit operations.

Stephen Buckley, General Manager of The City of Toronto's Transportation Services, image by Jack Landau



This will all help the City to better respond to changes in traffic conditions, provide motorists with updated information to allow them to change routes as necessary, and improve traffic efficiency along Toronto's increasingly congested corridors.