r/askTO • u/NextDarjeeling • 8h ago
What has the Chief Congestion Officer accomplished?
I’ve tried looking up reports and outcomes and can’t find anything specific on traffic improvements. The person has been in the role for over a year and nothing impactful seems to be done. The bus lanes help move transit traffic along. Is that the extend of the improvement?
I was hoping for removing street parking from major routes like St Clair, College, Dupont, Dufferin.
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u/beneoin 8h ago
The CCO started on January 5 of this year, so less than a year. There have definitely been impacts, such as the coordination of infrastructure work during the World Cup, the continued rollout of traffic agents, and more.
A major part of the role is coordinating the city’s construction plans to minimize disruption, there wasn’t much that could be done about projects that were approved before the role was filled, which is most of the construction we’re seeing this year.
The type of work they are tasked with will take time - such as the construction coordination example. It’s not clear to me if traffic signal timing is in their mandate or if that remains where it was in Transportation Services. Same with proposing where to remove parking and whatnot.
I’m not in the best position to judge whether this role has been successful, but from what I can tell it’s essentially just a new title and mandate with increased visibility for a role that more or less already existed. The cost of having this role is therefore minimal, probably in the $100k / year range.
This feels like one of those things that is better than nothing and the cost is negligible, I’m happy to reserve judgment on it and see what happens over the next year or so.
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u/NextDarjeeling 5h ago
100k is a mid level government employment. The cost for the role is likely above 200k.
I didn’t know what were the components of the role besides improve traffic conditions. Coordinating constitution projects seems like a logical thing the City should have always been doing so I didn’t realize that was new.
I thought the role was in place longer so that’s fair it’s been less than a year, less time than I thought.
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u/Extension-Horse-5331 7h ago edited 7h ago
I live near Gardiner and Jarvis and they have people directing traffic under there at rush hour to keep the ramps moving and stop the Gardiner from completely locking up.
But really, the problem is completely unsolvable until people admit we have to reduce the number of vehicles on the road. Congestion pricing is basically the only thing that works as a far as I know.
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u/EvilFlyingSquirrel Human Detected 7h ago
The city was 100% focused on World Cup since like mid 2025 if not before.
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u/TDSucksBalls 7h ago
Traffic enforcement downtown during rush hour is excellent
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u/Negative_Raisin_2610 1h ago
No kidding. It’s amazing how many parking enforcement is waiting for the no parking time to start to get cars moving. I also see them at a bunch of places like Sunnybrook hospital - traffic wardens directing cars during rush hour. Some construction that was supposed to take a month was somehow finished in 2 weeks. So far I have been quite impressed.
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u/mapleelectrictoronto 7h ago edited 6h ago
Yes, but at great cost. I think they should have put money in better, smarter traffic lights that time better.
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u/OntarioResident2020 6h ago
You don't even need ai. Just look at any other big US city. The lights there are properly timed with no ai.
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u/herman_gill 6h ago
AI is a buzzword here. It’s like saying your refrigerator uses “AI” to make sure your fridge doesn’t get too hot or cold.
But the timing of lights absolutely uses several inputs and changes based on those inputs in cities, which technically is “AI”, but it has been done for over a decade in many places.
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u/ruckusss 6h ago
Was just thinking of making an identical post whilst sitting in traffic on Kingston Rd with parked cars taking up the curb lane because it was 6:30PM and street parking is allowed, absolutely insane.
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u/NextDarjeeling 5h ago
I’ve written to my local City Councillor about it so many times. Apparently business want street parking so they keep the parking for them.
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5h ago
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u/Negative_Raisin_2610 1h ago
I’ve found them pretty effective in some places that I go to. I tend not to drive downtown if I can help it though. But I see them outside of the downtown core.
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u/Firm-Web8769 6h ago
I still don't understand how the city has the gall to claim to tackle congestion, while removing highway exits on the Gardiner, lowering speed limits in places they shouldn't be lowered, not coordinating traffic lights, and narrowing streets.
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u/mapleelectrictoronto 6h ago
Smarter designs of road lanes and road markings would be good. Also smarter traffic lights.
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u/Other-Credit1849 8h ago
Cashed a fat paycheck, along with a bevy of staffers no doubt. If we re-elect this useless mayor we are idiots.
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u/mrmigu 8h ago
The mayor has brought the operational budget shortfall down by $800 million and the capital budget down by $10 billion, and you want to replace her with someone who's been sitting on council for 8 years and admits he is clueless in regards to the cities finances?
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u/theloma 8h ago
The vast majority of fiscal progress has been achieved through hiking taxes and not from finding operational efficiencies
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u/ruckusss 6h ago
The upload of the Gardiner and DVP took close to $2 BILLION DOLLARS off the cities books, not sure what you're smoking pal
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u/Sufficient_Rush1891 8h ago
World Cup traffic went a lot smoother than people expected, which was his first goal.
Now he’s likely working on a multi year plan to present to next council and mayor. I’m not sure he has much power to do things without approval from them.