An action plan for handling traffic congestion in the city has been released by the Toronto Region Board of Trade.
Toronto's congestion has reached "crisis" mode, according to the report, which calls for urgent action from civic leaders.
The research argues gridlock corrodes the life of a city. In the case of Toronto, Ontario's capital reportedly has some of the worst commuter travel times in the world.
Giles Gherson, CEO of the Toronto Region Board of Trade (TRBOT), said the annual socioeconomic cost of traffic congestion in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and Hamilton is $44.7 billion.
The report, called "Breaking Gridlock," is based on extensive research from the global consultancy and engineering firms Steer Group and Parsons
Corporation, which were commissioned by the board.
Members of municipal and provincial government have long since engaged in intense debate over the cause of Toronto's extensive congestion problems.
In November, Doug Ford's government announced the removal of bike lanes from some streets in the city in what he's said is an attempt to alleviate vehicle gridlock.
A few months before that, the city raised fines for more than 100 parking violations as a means to reduce congestion. Just last month, Mayor Olivia Chow announced that 75 additional traffic agents would be placed across the city to manage pedestrian, bicycle and vehicle traffic.
But for many Torontonians the question remains, what are actually the root causes of congestion and how should the city tackle them?
The sources of traffic in Toronto
Lack of rapid transit
The TRBOT report said the first issue contributing to Toronto's traffic is a lack of rapid transit in the city.
"The surest antidote to congestion is the expansion of public transit services, especially rapid transit routes — subway and LRT lines that offer travellers swift, frequent and dependable service across the city and region, making them a viable alternative to private vehicle commuting," the report reads.
It goes on to argue the city has failed to expand its rapid transit network quickly enough, causing Toronto to trail behind its competitor cities including Montréal, Boston, Chicago and other urban hubs.
Demographic trends
The GTA and Hamilton area has experienced a "lengthy and pronounced period of population growth in the last 15 years," the report notes.
Toronto's population is currently over three million people. In Hamilton, nearly 600,000 people call the city home.
Alongside population growth, the report notes a correlation in the increase of vehicular use, with the region reportedly seeing a 37 per cent increase in the number of cars on the road since 2001.
Construction
The third cause of congestion, according to the business group, is construction.
The report maintains construction planning and coordination from the city need improvement. Transit expansion in the region accounts for a disproportionate share of right-of-way blockages, researchers found.
These construction projects, along with large-scale residential developments, can occupy vehicle lanes for month, or even years.
Competing demands on the roads
Toronto's 5,600 kilometres of streets consist of space used for vehicle lanes, sidewalks, cycling infrastructure, utilities, landscapes and more.
The municipal government already aims to develop "complete streets" throughout the city, meaning streets should accommodate pedestrians, cyclists, transit services and motor vehicles alike, while also enhancing local neighbourhood character.
But according to the TRBOT report, it is difficult to implement complete streets in dense urban areas, so strategic trade-offs must be made.
"The competing demands on Toronto’s network, and our inability to manage them effectively, have created the paradox on its roads: a free-for-all that leaves everyone at a standstill," the report reads.
How to tackle traffic congestion
The TRTB report argues gridlock in the GTA and Hamilton can be alleviated through concerted, coordinated action.
Reducing lane closures
Among several suggestions, the report recommends reducing lane closures throughout the GTA and Hamilton. One way to do this is through improved congestion pricing to incentivize faster and better construction.
Toronto currently charges $37,000 per month to close a traffic lane for construction, according to the report. Researchers calculated the socioeconomic cost of closing a major traffic lane and determined it to be much higher, at $1.7 million a month.
This cost should be embedded into the decision making process of lane closures, the report said.
Another apparent way to reduce lane closures is to make off-peak construction on major arterials the norm. The report points to cities such as Singapore, New York and London as good examples and notes the cities restrict road closures during peak travel hours.
It also argues the benefit of 24-7 construction to "substantially shorten the completion timelines."
Enforce the rules of the road
Driver behaviour is apparently deteriorating, with the report stating that 55 per cent of Ontario drivers admit to risky and unsafe driving habits.
Enhancing enforcement at intersections and major arterials could apparently help with that.
The report recommends a "simple amendment to Ontario’s Highway Traffic Act" that would see red light cameras start issuing block-the-box infractions at intersections.
The use of camera and license plate recognition was also mentioned as possible responses to deter unsafe driving behaviour.
Implement accountability mechanisms
A cultural shift in planning and governing mobility is necessary, the report said, adding that a new reporting structure should be established in city hall for managing traffic gridlock.
A cross-departmental "czar" or commissioner at the highest political level should be implemented to review all city business through the eyes of traffic impact, the report argued.
The person appointed would troubleshoot congestion hot spots and offer numerous services such as "overseeing enforcement initiatives and the management of dedicated connector roads, reforming the city’s lane closure permit and pricing regime, and more."
