“Technology Pilot Zone” to test solutions
Toronto experimenting with 5G and AI to improve traffic flow
The City of Toronto announced on May 27th that it is partnering with the Ontario Vehicle Innovation Network (OVIN) to support a Technology Pilot Zone Project that will test innovative technology solutions to transportation challenges in the unique context of Toronto’s streets.
A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the City and OVIN will provide eligible small- and medium-sized enterprises with up to $100,000 in funding to test traffic management technologies in real-world environments enabled by 5G wireless connectivity and leading-edge computing technologies including artificial intelligence (AI).
Mayor Olivia Chow and Raed Kadri, Head of OVIN announced the partnership today alongside the Honourable Filomena Tassi, Minister responsible for FedDev Ontario, the Honourable Victor Fedeli, Ontario Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade, and the Honourable Vijay Thanigasalam, Ontario Associate Minister of Transportation.
More information about the eligibility requirements and application intakes is available on the OVIN Technology Pilot Zones webpage .
Addressing congestion and improving road safety
The MOU supports the City’s Congestion Management Plan 2023-2026 which Toronto City Council adopted in November 2023 to address traffic management that Toronto faces as a vibrant and growing city.
As part of the Congestion Management Plan, the City is also partnering with telecommunications companies and their traffic technology partners – including Bell Canada with Caliber Communications, Rogers Communications with NoTraffic and TELUS with Miovision – to enable pilot projects aimed at reducing travel times, improving road safety and enhancing transit priority.
During these pilots, the companies will deploy new traffic camera and sensor technologies that utilize AI and 5G wireless networks to improve and accelerate traffic management strategies.
Following the pilots, the City may procure the technologies that successfully demonstrate the ability to alleviate congestion, improve road safety, enhance transit priority and make transportation more efficient for Toronto residents, businesses and visitors.
