Transportation Services working hard to keep traffic moving
With the City growing and more cars on our streets, traffic congestion is a major challenge in our community.  Click here to learn more about how the city balances the needs of all road users.

Moving goods and people safely and efficiently throughout the city is the goal of the City's Transportation Services Division.  With this in mind, the division is taking steps to ensure that traffic flows as smoothly as possible and that everyone who uses our roads is safe.

With so many different road users, pedestrians, cyclists, transit vehicles and cars, it is critical to strike a balance, so that everyone who uses the road can travel efficiently and effectively.

Traffic congestion generally occurs when the traffic flow on a particular approach to an intersection exceeds the capacity of the intersection.  When that happens, queues form as more vehicles approach the intersection.  This typically occurs during peak morning and evening periods.

Signal timing is critical to ensuring that adequate "green" time is provided to everyone who wants to use the intersection.  And that's where the balancing act comes into play.  It is important to provide sufficient time for vehicles, pedestrians and transit vehicles as they enter the intersection.

To make sure that everyone is accommodated, the City continues to make improvements to its intersections and traffic signals. 

For vehicular traffic, the City is continually adjusting its traffic signal timing at various intersections to optimize their available capacity. There is a current process to modernize the City’s traffic system in the next few years.  This will result in more effective movements for vehicles at intersections.

For pedestrians, the City has instituted a number of traffic safety measures. These include pedestrian priority intersections, zebra stripes, accessible pedestrian signals and countdown signals which are aimed at improving safety for those traveling on the street on foot.

The City has also developed methods that enable transit vehicles to move through intersections more quickly to ensure a more effective public transportation system.

Through these methods, Transportation Services is working toward keeping the flow of traffic moving for everyone who uses our roads.