Reduced street parking hours, tougher enforcement on vehicles that block traffic and fixed-fine tickets with heavier penalties for rush hour offenders, are among 17 measures the city’s Transportation Services Division is recommending to help relieve downtown traffic congestion.

They are part of a Downtown Transportation Operations Study that looked at how the city could get vehicles moving through the core by maximizing the infrastructure that’s already in place.

The study looked at the area roughly bounded by Lake Shore Blvd., Bathurst St., Queen St. and Jarvis.

A big part of the answer is cracking down on drivers who impede traffic and using signal technology to respond more immediately to the flow of vehicles in the core, including improved signal priority for transit, according to a report before the Public Works and Infrastructure Committee on Wednesday.

The study identified eight key causes of congestion in the downtown core. Among them were cars lined up to get on the Gardiner on major streets like Spadina; bottlenecks from illegal parking and loading activities; poor traffic signal timing and delays from left turns.

Based on consultations with the public and businesses, transportation officials came up with a series of recommendations that included some obvious solutions such as awareness campaigns and tougher penalties for motorists who block lanes.

Others are more innovative. One idea is to hire transportation assistance personnel such as those used in Vancouver, New York and Chicago. Civilian workers would manage intersections at rush hour by guiding cars, pedestrians and cyclists safely through the crossing. But they would have no authority to enforce traffic bylaws.

The report also calls on the conversion of some sections of Wellington and Simcoe streets to two-way thoroughfares to maximize their capacity; re-signaling the entertainment district to better reflect traffic patterns which don’t follow the traditional rush hours and the creation of 13 courier drop- zones to allow for business deliveries.

The recommendations are based on consultations with local businesses and residents, among them the Toronto Financial District Business Improvement Area.

Congestion consistently comes up in the top two concerns of the BIA’s members, said executive director Grant Humes, who plans to make a submission to the Works committee.

“It is probably exacerbated right now because effectively Yonge and Front are closed,” he said, adding that anything that gets traffic moving will be welcome among businesses in the area.

It would cost about $2.75 million over the next two years to implement the recommendations, says the report. It also projects an $870,000 reduction in parking revenue.