City embracing ‘big data’ to combat traffic congestion in Toronto

City officials are harnessing traffic data to get Toronto moving smarter like a “truly smart city.”

At a news conference on Tuesday morning at the Ryerson University Digital Media Zone, Mayor John Tory pledged to bring Toronto into the 21st century by creating a Big Data Innovation Team.

“Pretty well everybody has a smartphone that sends out a signal each and every place,” Tory said.

“That allows us to monitor where people are, pedestrians, cars, cyclists and so on, and be able to understand why they’re where they are, when they’re where they are, and to try to do something about it.”

Tory said when it comes to collecting data about the traffic in the city, Toronto is behind, and that he is “very determined for this city to catch up.”

“Toronto has clipboards and clickers — people standing at corners clicking … we have clipboards [with] people taking notes with pencils,” Tory said.

According to Tory, cities like Amsterdam and Barcelona use virtual traffic managers and free traffic flow apps for their residents. He said Amsterdam residents have spent 10 per cent less time in traffic as a result.

The Big Data Innovation Team — building on some of the current work by Transportation Services — will partner with McMaster University to analyze travel on the city’s expressways and streets.

The team will also work alongside the Toronto Transit Commission to analyze surface routes in order to improve service. Moreover, data will be collected from the city’s cycle tracking app.

The mayor said the cost “will be relatively modest.”

“Probably it will cost no more than having people standing on street corners with clickers and clipboards, and putting sensors in the ground that get worn out after a period of time and are utterly useless. And that’s what we’ve been investing in up until now.”

Tory said a data lead will be appointed and a team will be put together using existing resources. On April 14-15, data companies will showcase their products to city staff.

Transportation Services will also host an open data “hackathon” in September to develop applications.

“Learning about how we can better use travel data, by all modes, is a huge step forward,” Coun. Jaye Robinson (Ward 25, Don Valley West), chair of the Public Works and Infrastructure Committee, said in a release.

“We need to be investing in projects that tap into the power of big data. This type of work will serve as a foundation for improving commutes for all Torontonians, whether you travel by transit, bike or car.”

Tory’s announcement came on the heels of a partial subway shutdown on Line 1 (Yonge-University-Spadina) during the morning rush hour.

Although he said that was a isolated incident, the response time needs to improve.

With files from Fil Martino and Cynthia Mulligan