The City of Toronto has given Rogers Communications Inc. the green light to set up cameras and sensors at five downtown intersections that will track movement of vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists with the aim of relieving gridlock.Traffic drives past the Rogers corporate head office and headquarters along Mount Pleasant Road in Toronto on Monday, Oct. 25, 2021.
That paves the way for the city to launch the pilot in partnership with Rogers. The company will install the cameras and sensors along University Avenue at Adelaide, King, Wellington and Front streets as well as York Street and Bremner Boulevard. “The idea here is that situation really shouldn't occur. By having a good bird's eye view of what's happening in the intersection, you can dynamically change the lights to ensure that there's no cars sitting, idling, or pedestrians or cyclists in that matter.”
Dayal said the technology is able to detect and classify various “objects,” including pedestrians, cyclists, buses or cars, and optimize light changes for both safety and traffic flow.