Toronto traffic an issue? What was your first clue?

File this one in the “Captain Obvious” drawer, beside the “What was your first clue?” folder. Toronto traffic and transit are the top concerns for the majority of residents, according to a survey for the City of Toronto.

The survey, conducted by Ipsos-Reid, found a significant majority of residents believe the “most important” issues facing Toronto are poor transportation/transit (22 per cent) and traffic congestion/gridlock (20 per cent).

“The number one priority for Toronto residents continues to be their ability to move around the city,” says Mayor John Tory. “In January, the City implemented a six-point congestion plan to get this city moving. Through road closures coordination, accelerating construction, and letting Toronto residents know about road closures as soon as possible, we will make a real impact on our ability to get around, get to work and get home to our families.”

Half of Torontonians (52 per cent) also believe it is getting much or somewhat harder to get around the city and the majority agree construction (66 per cent) and road congestion (56 per cent) are to blame.

Over the last six months, the City has begun an aggressive campaign to address the concerns about traffic and gridlock. This includes:

• Creating a Road Closure Coordination Committee, chaired by Mayor Tory, to coordinate roadwork, events and TTC track work in a way that results in the least amount of impact on traffic.
• Implementing a Six Point Congestion Plan, including a zero tolerance for vehicles blocking lanes of traffic during peak travel times on major roads.
• Continuing to look for opportunities to accelerate construction work to open earlier, such as the Gardiner Expressway work in April 2015.

Although most respondents rated all aspects of infrastructure projects as being somewhat/very important, quality of work emerged as the most important by nearly all respondents (90 per cent) indicating the importance of tax dollars well-spent and quality work that will last longer. Following quality of work, eight in 10 believe that safety (84 per cent), speed (83 per cent), cost (80 per cent) and coordination/management of construction projects with various organizations involved (76 per cent) are somewhat/very important.

A majority of Toronto residents (60 per cent) also indicated they would show more patience regarding delays and congestion if they were more aware of construction start and end dates. The media is viewed as the most credible source for information about construction in the city, followed by the mayor. Residents prefer to receive information about construction projects by television, radio and construction signage at the actual construction site.

Check the city website for updates on road closures and construction.

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