Traffic agents to be on Toronto streets by year's end?

Torontosun.com
November 22, 2019
Sue-Ann Levy

After nearly a two-year delay, the first city of Toronto traffic agent will be in place to keep traffic flowing at a yet-to-be determined Toronto intersection by the end of next month, a city spokesman says.

Eric Holmes said Thursday there will be 19 staff in total (16 agents plus three managers) and the total cost of the Traffic Agent program in 2020 will be about $2.2-million.

Formerly referred to as traffic wardens, their names have been changed to Traffic Agent Special Constables. They will be assigned to badly-congested intersections around the city to help with the traffic flow.

Holmes said the list of key intersections has not been finalized but paid duty officers are now located during the morning or afternoon rush hours at such intersections as Bay and Bloor Sts., Bay and Richmond Sts., Front and Bay Sts.

It’s been two years since Mayor John Tory first announced a traffic warden plan to ease congestion at hotspots.

The plan came to the city’s public works committee in the spring of 2018 and it took until the end of 2018 for the Toronto Police Services Board (TPSB) to adopt a Traffic Agent Business Case.

A memorandum of understanding (MOU) was finally approved by the TPSB in the summer to allow the traffic agents to act as special constables with powers to direct traffic, remove vehicles or close roads.