Toronto Mayor John Tory unveiled a six-point plan to fight gridlock from the city's traffic management centre on Thursday morning.

The mayor told media he'd fight traffic congestion with a new zero-tolerance policy to be rolled out after a month-long education period.

Tory introduced his plan from the Traffic Operations Centre on Don Mills Road, near Overlea Boulevard.

He said he will work with the chief of police to introduce a zero-tolerance policy for parked vehicles blocking major routes during rush hour.

Starting Jan. 1, after a month-long education campaign, all cars and trucks blocking major routes during peak travel times will be towed. The policy includes "commercial vehicles" and those with out-of-province licence plates. There will be no exceptions, Tory said.

"If I have to chip in and drive a tow truck myself, those vehicles are going to be towed away."

Tory's plan also includes:

  • A road closures committee to co-ordinate events, major closures and TTC closures to make sure there is always a route free for drivers.
  • A traffic enforcement team, which will install more traffic cameras and work with the media to monitor slowdowns.
  • More signal lights, re-timed to help ease congestion during peak hours.
  • Higher fees for lane closures relating to private development projects.
  • Incentives for public sector projects to be completed faster, along with extended work hours.

Full traffic plan

(December 4th, 2014) Toronto – Today, Mayor John Tory announced he will personally oversee the implementation of a six-point plan to battle traffic congestion. It will use a combination of new technologies and boots-on-the-ground enforcement to make a real difference in cutting commute times.

"Traffic is strangling this city and costing us millions in lost productivity. We need to take immediate action to get Toronto moving so people can get to work on time and home to their families sooner," said Mayor Tory. "I believe this issue is so important to the everyday lives of Torontonians, I will be working with city staff to get this one as soon as possible."

Mayor Tory will work with Council, City Staff, Transportation Services and the Toronto Police Service (TPS) to take immediate action on the following:

1. Strict Enforcement Of "No Stopping" Regulations On Major Roads

• Work with the Chief of Police to immediately re-deploy parking enforcement officers from residential streets to key intersections and arterials during rush hours;

• Initiate an aggressive "tow" policy for rush hour lane blockers on Jan. 1, 2015 following a one month education period.

• Direct Transportation Services to report back this spring on modifying hours for "No Stopping" regulations on major streetcar routes.

2. Enhance Road Closure Reporting.

• Revisit current road closure reporting and require that ANY event that will impact traffic is in the City's Road Closure Reporting System.

• Mayor Tory will personally chair the road closures co-ordination committee for six months to increase accountability.

• Convene a working group to better coordinate special events for 2015.

3. Launch A Multi-Organizational Traffic Enforcement Team

• Deploy 40 additional cameras on arterials in the coming months to permit Transportation Services' Transportation Operation Centre to actively communicate issues to TPS staff, with another 80 cameras in 2016.

• Direct Transportation Services to report back on ways in which we can make greater use of electronic enforcement like red light cameras to curb problem behaviours like blocking intersections.

• Convene members of Toronto Police Services Traffic Unit, TPS Divisional Units, TPS Parking Enforcement and Transportation Services to develop a more comprehensive and cooperative approach to improved traffic enforcement.

4. Accelerate The 2015 Traffic Signal Retiming Program From 250 Signals To 350 Signals

• Speed up the RFP process for 350 intersections for the 2015 program.

• Move quickly to pilot and test next generation smart traffic signal technology with a deployment of 20 locations in 2015.

5. Establish More Stringent Criteria And Higher Fees For The Closure Of Lanes And Boulevards By Private Development Projects

• Transportation Services will report to the Public Works and Infrastructure Committee in February.

6. Speed up Public Sector Construction Projects By Extending Work Hours And Reducing The Duration Of Construction On Major Roadways.

• Move forward with 6 am to 11 pm construction where possible.

• Where is it financially feasible, build in cost premiums for early completion. "Wherever I go, people tell me that traffic is the single most frustrating thing about living in Toronto. As Mayor, I will devote significant time and energy to this problem. I am confident that these measures, and others that I will talk about more in the coming months, will begin making a real impact on our ability to move."