City staff speak about rising concerns related to traversing Toronto 

By Damola Omole

University-Rosedale Councillor Dianne Saxe hosted a virtual town hall meeting on the evening of April 16 which brought together city officials on infrastructure and congestion to get to the bottom of the issues that seem to perpetually afflict the roads of Toronto. 

Just over 70 people turned out to listen to the discussion and voice their concerns.  

“I do understand [congestion] is a frustration for residents and visitors alike. It’s a drain on our economy, and it impacts our environment as well. And if left, to me, it will become something that lowers our quality of life. So it’s very, very important, of course, to manage it.”

Those were the words of Andrew Posluns, the chief congestion officer and executive director at the strategic capital coordination office at the city’s infrastructure services. Posluns delivered a presentation chock-full of key insights into the city’s varying strategies to reduce congestion. 

Toronto’s growth, he explained, is both a sign of success and a major contributor to its traffic challenges. With millions living across the Greater Toronto Area and increasing numbers of commuters returning to in-person work, demand on the city’s transportation network continues to rise. At the same time, shifting travel behaviour, including a 17 per cent increase in ride-hailing use, are reshaping how congestion manifests.

Better transit decreases congestion, and investments in transit signal priority, which allows buses and streetcars to move through intersections more efficiently, have led to measurable gains. On the Eglinton Crosstown’s Line 5, for example, riders have seen travel times reduced by up to 20 minutes on a round trip, according to city statistics. 

Changes like this form part of a congestion management plan built on what Posluns identified as “five key pillars.” The first focuses on minimizing the disruption caused by construction which is widely seen as one of the biggest contributors to gridlock. A program introduced in 2025 now charges fees for occupying road space, incentivizing contractors to complete work more quickly and coordinate with other projects to avoid overlapping closures.

The second pillar expands traffic management efforts. The city currently deploys about 100 traffic agents to manage flow at busy intersections. This number is expected to grow to 127 by the end of the year. Meanwhile, Toronto is upgrading its aging traffic operations centre by  aiming to incorporate real-time data and improve coordination with police when incidents occur.

Improving surface transit is the third pillar. 

With road space limited, the city is prioritizing modes of transportation that can efficiently move more people. 

Plans are underway to expand transit signal priority to 72 additional intersections, alongside measures such as adjusting parking rules on busy routes to keep buses and streetcars moving.

AI and smart technology play a central role in the fourth pillar. Posluns described how the city is experimenting with “smart signals” that use sensors to adapt to traffic conditions in real time, as well as “intelligent intersections” that integrate data on vehicles, cyclists, and pedestrians to optimize flow. Longer-term ambitions include developing a “digital twin” of Toronto’s transportation network to simulate and plan for congestion scenarios.

The final pillar focuses on shifting travel behaviour. Through public awareness campaigns and partnerships with employers and event organizers, Andrew says the city is encouraging transit use, particularly during major events.

One such event looming large is the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup, which is expected to bring hundreds of thousands of visitors to the city. Officials emphasized that it will be a “transit-first” event, with no parking available near venues and increased TTC service to accommodate demand.

At the end of the presentation, Saxe directed the discussion towards that of the more outspoken individuals present at the meeting. Some residents raised broader questions about the roots of congestion. Several pointed to rapid real estate development around areas such as subway lines which are key pressure points. 

Many of the attendees drew comparisons between Toronto and New York. 

For instance, multiple people brought up New York’s recent congestion pricing program. There is a fee of $9 for cars entering a part of Manhattan on weekdays between 5 a.m. and 9 p.m. The fee is to reduce traffic and pollution. 

Discussions as to whether Toronto should adopt this policy have been ongoing for a while; however, one area that may be untapped is a Eurasian model of city planning. 

Many of the largest cities with the least amount of traffic exist in Europe (Amsterdam and  Zurich) and Asia (Singapore, Uzbekistan, and Tokyo). 

Many of these cities share similarities with Toronto such as high parking prices and above average transit systems; however, Toronto lacks many of the factors (like advanced cycling and walking infrastructure, convenient high-density, mixed-use urban planning, and superior road management) that make these cities so efficient such as advanced cycling and walking infrastructure, high-density, mixed-use urban planning, and superior road management. 

Based on past critiques, our city has a long way to go in terms of striking mix of modes of transportation.

Underlying many of these discussions is a fundamental tension: how to balance competing demands on limited road space. From bike lanes and pedestrian zones, to parking and transit,  each intervention carries trade-offs.

“There are a lot of competing demands on our shared space,” Posluns said. “The [challenge] is getting the balance right.”