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Ontario green lights transit signal program
TERRY WEBER
Globe and Mail Update
The Ontario government has given the green light to a new program that would let public transit vehicles manipulate traffic signals at intersections to their advantage, in a move aimed at cutting congestion and convincing more people to take the bus or streetcar.
The system — to be available to transit systems across the province — involves the use of traffic-signal preemption technology, which lets buses and streetcars change the length of signals at traffic intersections so they spend less time waiting and more time in motion.
The technology uses sensors place on the pavement about 100 metres in front of an intersection.
Then, as a transit vehicle approaches, the sensors respond to a transmitter on the vehicle to either shorten a red light or lengthen a green depending on the signal being displayed as the bus or streetcar approaches.
Funding for the project is part of the $1.2-billion allocated by the province in last month's budget for public transit and municipal roads and bridges.
“This technology gets riders to their destination more quickly,†Transportation Minister Harinder Takhar said in Wednesday's announcement.
Under an amendment to provincial traffic regulations in 2005, public transit vehicles and traffic signal maintenance trucks are allowed to use the technology. Before that, only emergency vehicles could use the technology.
Pre-emptive priority systems are already in use on some Toronto Transit Commission and York Region routes. Ottawa and other municipal transit authorities are also investigating using the technology.
However, in Wednesday's announcement, the province also warned that police will be keeping a sharp eye out for drivers looking to misuse the technology. Offenders who use the technology on other vehicles can be fined as much as $1,000.
Wednesday's announcement brought praise from transportation agencies.
“This announcement is good news for transit riders as it can help to cut down on commuting time,†Canadian Urban Transit Association president Michael Roschlau said in a statement.
“This makes better use of our road space and promotes transit as a faster alternative to the car.â€
The announcement also coincided with the release of a Statistics Canada report Wednesday which showed that the number of riders on Canada's 10 big transit systems rose 1.8 per cent in February compared with the same month a year earlier.
About 110.1 million passenger trips were taken on these transit systems that month, the agency said. Those systems represent about 80 per cent of total urban transit in Canada.
The trips generated $173-million in revenue — excluding subsidies — up 5.5 per cent from a year earlier
TERRY WEBER
Globe and Mail Update
The Ontario government has given the green light to a new program that would let public transit vehicles manipulate traffic signals at intersections to their advantage, in a move aimed at cutting congestion and convincing more people to take the bus or streetcar.
The system — to be available to transit systems across the province — involves the use of traffic-signal preemption technology, which lets buses and streetcars change the length of signals at traffic intersections so they spend less time waiting and more time in motion.
The technology uses sensors place on the pavement about 100 metres in front of an intersection.
Then, as a transit vehicle approaches, the sensors respond to a transmitter on the vehicle to either shorten a red light or lengthen a green depending on the signal being displayed as the bus or streetcar approaches.
Funding for the project is part of the $1.2-billion allocated by the province in last month's budget for public transit and municipal roads and bridges.
“This technology gets riders to their destination more quickly,†Transportation Minister Harinder Takhar said in Wednesday's announcement.
Under an amendment to provincial traffic regulations in 2005, public transit vehicles and traffic signal maintenance trucks are allowed to use the technology. Before that, only emergency vehicles could use the technology.
Pre-emptive priority systems are already in use on some Toronto Transit Commission and York Region routes. Ottawa and other municipal transit authorities are also investigating using the technology.
However, in Wednesday's announcement, the province also warned that police will be keeping a sharp eye out for drivers looking to misuse the technology. Offenders who use the technology on other vehicles can be fined as much as $1,000.
Wednesday's announcement brought praise from transportation agencies.
“This announcement is good news for transit riders as it can help to cut down on commuting time,†Canadian Urban Transit Association president Michael Roschlau said in a statement.
“This makes better use of our road space and promotes transit as a faster alternative to the car.â€
The announcement also coincided with the release of a Statistics Canada report Wednesday which showed that the number of riders on Canada's 10 big transit systems rose 1.8 per cent in February compared with the same month a year earlier.
About 110.1 million passenger trips were taken on these transit systems that month, the agency said. Those systems represent about 80 per cent of total urban transit in Canada.
The trips generated $173-million in revenue — excluding subsidies — up 5.5 per cent from a year earlier