Toronto partners to pilot urban mobility technology

The City of Toronto is partnering with the Ontario Vehicle Innovation Network (Ovin) to pilot urban mobility technologies.

The Ovin Technology Pilot Zone project will test innovative technology solutions to address transportation challenges in the unique context of Toronto’s streets.

Traffic management tech

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. Solutions will be enabled by 5G wireless connectivity and leading-edge computing technologies including artificial intelligence (AI).

The MoU supports the City’s Congestion Management Plan 2023-2026 which Toronto City Council adopted in November 2023 to address the traffic management challenges that Toronto faces as a vibrant and growing city.

“As a vibrant, dynamic and growing city, it’s important to explore new ways to better manage all forms of traffic so we can keep Toronto moving”

As part of the 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 utilise AI and 5G wireless networks to improve and accelerate traffic management strategies.