Toronto has a new plan to cut down on nightmare traffic

The City of Toronto has revealed its new plan to tackle out-of-control gridlock in the city.

Toronto shared an update to its Congestion Management Plan on Thursday, introducing a raft of recommended future measures aimed at getting the city moving again.

Officials hope the new measures will "help mitigate traffic congestion, improve transit reliability and make travel safer and more efficient for all road users."

Among the new measures City officials are considering, proposed actions in the updated congestion plan include:

• The potential to implement automated enforcement programs
• Deploying traffic agents to 13 new corridors as new agent classes graduate throughout the year
• The possibility of hiking or adding fees for construction-related road closures

These proposed measures come in conjunction with a City report on Enhancing Capital Construction Delivery and the Annual Strategic Capital Coordination Report, and are being tabled on the heels of the recently released Review of Bid Award Panel report, which aims to improve coordination of construction projects that can impact traffic conditions.

Traffic management measures would be further complemented by the new Road Disruption Activity Reporting System (RoDARS) fees. As of April 1, companies that occupy space on the right-of-way for construction will now have to pay these RoDARS fees, a move that could impact how construction companies stage their sites.

The Review of Bid Award Panel report is set to be considered by the City's General Government Committee on Monday, April 7, while additional reports will be considered by the Infrastructure and Environment Committee on Wednesday, April 9.

All reports are expected to appear before City Council later this month for final approval.