OT Magazine - Ontario Traffic Conference (OTC)

OT Magazine 1 

Visit us at www.otc.org 

OT Magazine 

A Quarterly Publication 

of The Ontario Traffic Council 

INSIDE THIS ISSUE 

REpORTS ON: 

BIxI TakES TO TORONTO 

NORTH aMERIca’S SafEST ROaDS 

OTc 61 ST aGM 

THE ROaD TO HUNTSVILLE 

SEE INSIDE cOVER 

Summer 2011 Edition www.otc.org 

Summer 2011 Edition

OT Magazine 

A Quarterly Publication 

of The Ontario Traffic Council 

OTC’s 61 ST Annual General Meeting 

June 12-14 at the Delta Grandview Resort 

See page 9 for a complete agenda 

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Inside This Issue . . . 

Message From The President 

Bixi Hits Toronto Streets 

Technical Traffic Training Course 

Transportation Planning Workshop 

The Safest Roads on the Continent? 

OTC’s Annual General Meeting 

The journal for members of 

“THE ONTARIO TRAFFIC COUNCIL’’ 

An organization “To Develop and Promote 

Expertise Regarding Traffic Matters Affecting 

Ontario in Keeping with Current and 

Future Transportation, Social 

and Environmental Goals’’ through 

Engineering - Enforcement - Education 

Contributing Editors 

Marco D’Angelo 

Ron Hamilton 

Advertising Sales 

info@otc.org 

The Ontario Traffic Council 

160 Lesmill Road 

Toronto, ON M3B 2T5 

647-346-4050 Fax: 647-346-4060 

info@otc.org 

www.otc.org 

http://twitter.com/ontariotraffic 


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President’s Message 

Dear Friends and Colleagues, 

The 2011 Annual Convention and the AGM 

are fast approaching which serves as a 

reminder that my tenure as President is 

coming to an end. Your Board of Directors has 

been extremely busy this past year dealing 

with several important issues facing the 

organization. 

The OTC is pleased to be partnering again 

this year with the MTO and more than a dozen 

municipalities to develop another book in 

the Ontario Traffic Manual series - Book 

18: Bicycle Facilities. Book 18 will develop 

standards, best practices, procedures, 

guidelines and recommendations for bicycle 

facilities that can be adopted by regions, cities 

and towns across Ontario. This follows up on 

the success of the recently completed OTM 

Book 15: Pedestrian Facilities, which was 

submitted to the MTO for review in January. 

I had the pleasure of attending the Ontario 

Police College on Monday April 20th to assist 

in welcoming the registrants in the 2011 


Traffic Training Course. Thanks to the Traffic 

Training Committee for their excellent work. 

Also, I would like to congratulate Dan Samson 

from the City of Toronto for achieving the Top 

Student award. 

You answered C. 

You’re ahead of the class! 

• Enhance customer service with online sales 

• Eliminate long lines associated with the permit sales process 

• Frees up staff from stuffing envelopes 

• Track every step of the process with T2 Flex 

• Additional financial savings and revenue opportunities 

Contact your Canadian Representative: Kim Shaw 

800-242-4995 

Email: kshaw@wwlinc.com www.wwlinc.com 

The Transportation Planning Workshop 

held in Burlington on April 15th was also a 

great success. My sincere thanks go to the 

Transportation Planning Committee for their 

hard work in planning and presenting the 

workshop and making it the success it was. 

Our efforts are now concentrated on the 

Annual Convention and AGM to be held in 

Huntsville from Sunday June 12th to Tuesday 

June 14th. We have put together a first rate 

program with many exciting, timely and high 

quality presentations that we hope will attract 

a large number of attendees and will meet all 

of your expectations. Please join us in beautiful 

Huntsville to benefit from our technical 

program and to network with your fellow traffic 

professionals. 

As I begin the transition from President to 

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Past President, I look back with pride in what 

your Board has accomplished in the past 2 

years with the satisfaction of working with 

such a dedicated team. My sincere thanks 

and gratitude go to my fellow Board members: 

Heide, Kim, Robyn, Mike, John, Jeff, Nelson 

and Marco for making this time productive 

for the OTC. It has been my honour to have 

served as President of the OTC and I am sure 

the continuing Board members as well as our 

Committees and broader membership will 

keep moving the OTC 

forward in the years. 

Ron Hamilton 

OTC President 

800-434-1502 

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Summer 2011 Edition www.otc.org

Bixi Program Takes 

to Toronto Streets 

By: Scott Godwin, OTC Staff 

memberships up to a year in advance. Bixi 

Director Gian-Carlo Crivello expects that the 

current number will surpass 7000 in this its 

first year. 

On May 3, 2011, Bixi launched its bike-sharing 

program in Toronto, ON. The system which has 

become a huge success in Montreal (growing to 

10,000 members in its first year) since being 

introduced in that city in 2009 is now available 

to residents of Toronto’s downtown core with 

80 stations and 1000 available bikes. The 

name Bixi is a hybrid of the words “BIcycle” and 

“taXI.” 

The BIXI program features a rugged, vandalresistant 

bicycle designed for the Canadian 

climate and a modular bicycle docking station 

design that is powered by solar energy and uses 

wireless communications technology. 

In order for the program to launch, Bixi Toronto 

was required to obtain a minimum of 1000 

members prior to the bicycles hitting the 

streets. Thanks largely to corporate members 

such as Autoshare who purchased a total of 

100 of the annual subscriptions required, Bixi 

bicycles were in place May 3 for the over 1400 

eager participants who had purchased their 


Memberships run at $95 for a one-year 

subscription which entitles the rider to 24/7 

access (based on availability) for 30 minutes of 

riding time before incurring additional charges. 

People also have the option of utilizing the 

service as “Casual Riders” by swiping their 

credit card at any Bixi stand and pay as they 

go for their time/usage. BIXI bikes can be 

picked up or dropped off at any of the 80 

downtown bicycle docking stations 24 hours a 

day, seven days a week. The current rate of an 

adult TTC monthly pass is $121, making those 

commuting within the downtown core the target 

market for this initiative based on financial 

incentive alone. 

When asked about the negative impacts of 

this new program after some speculated that 

many downtown parking lots/spaces would 

be converted to Bixi stations, Councillor Denzil 

Minnan-Wong, chair of the public works and 

infrastructure committee, recently told the 

Globe and Mail that he hoped Bixi would 

attract new cyclists to the core without being 

cast as an interloper stealing space from 

cars. Minnan-Wong stated that “It’s not about 

competition. Modes of transportation have to 

be complementary.” 

With newly introduced bike lanes in the 

downtown core the goal is to promote safety 

amongst cyclists and perhaps relieve traffic 

congestion within these areas by encouraging 

those able to opt for alternate modes of 

transportation to do so. Bixi may be a step in 

the right direction in terms of relieving traffic 

congestion, though it raises many safety related 

concerns, many of which will be addressed in the 

OTC’s newest research project, Ontario Traffic 

Manual Book 18: Bicycle Facilities, which is 

currently under development. 

Toronto now joins the ranks of other 

international cities currently offering the ecofriendly 

transportation alternative under the Bixi 

name including Montreal, Melbourne, London, 

Washington, Minneapolis and Arlington, 

Virginia. 


Since 1954 the Ontario Traffic Council (OTC) 

has conducted Traffic Training Courses for 

traffic enforcement and traffic engineering 

staff. 

The Technical Traffic Operations Course 

focused on providing participants with a basic 

overview of all aspects of traffic engineering 

including an understanding of the various types 

of traffic control devices and how to use them. 

At the end of the course, students would be 

able to review a traffic problem and determine 

possible approaches to solve the problem. 

The course took place from May 9 through 

May 20 at the Ontario Police College located 

in Aylmer, and as always the OPC provided the 

very best in hospitality and a great learning 


2011 Technical Traffic Training Course 

environment for students who came from police 

services and municipalities across Ontario. 

An all-volunteer team of instructors came 

together to teach courses on topics ranging 

from Traffic Signing to Collision Analysis to 

Tort Liability. Thanks to the course instructors 

for ensuring that the content of these courses 

provided the very best information and excellent 

opportunities for skill building for the students. 

In past years, a course for Police Supervisors 

ran concurrently. Due to low enrolment, the 

police section of the course was deferred until 

next year. 

The Committee will be meeting to plan another 

great traffic training course to be held in the 

spring of 2012. 

Special thanks to the 

members of the OTC Traffic 

Training course for an 

outstanding job this year! 

• Chris Blackwood, Mohawk 

College, Hamilton 

• Dan Briggs, Ontario Provincial 

Police 

• Danny Budimirovic, Co-Chair, 

City of Toronto 

• John Crass, City of Burlington 

• Chris Day, City of Burlington 

• Scott Diefenbaker, Waterloo 

Regional Police 

• Dave Edwards, Ministry of 

Transportation 

• Doug Fenske, Ontario Provincial 

Police 

• Fred Gregory, Waterloo Regional 

Police 

• Phil Masters, Ministry of 

Transportation 

• Dave McCormack, Co-Chair, 

Ontario Police College 

• Peter Mitro, Guelph Police 

Service 

• Tom O’Brien, London Police 

Service 

• Vince Suppa, City of Toronto 

• Rick Walshaw, Mohawk College, 

Hamilton 


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The OTC Transportation Planning Committee hosted its 7th Annual Transportation 

Planning Workshop on April 15, 2011. Held this year at the Holiday Inn in Burlington, the 

Workshop brought together transportation planning professionals from across Ontario. 

This year’s participants included municipal transportation and transit planners, 

consultants and MTO officials. This event is one of only a handful in Ontario that bring 

together such a diverse cross-section of transportation planning professionals. 

The day-long workshop included sessions on current issues such as rapid transit, traffic 

calming, traffic simulation, the Municipal Class EA process, pedestrian mobility and the 

development of regional hubs. 

Thanks to the presenters for generously donating their time and expertise and for 

providing valuable information to workshop participants. Thanks also to the members 

of the OTC Transportation Planning committee for their efforts in organizing the event, 

with special recognition of Committee Chair, David Angelakis, who emceed the entire 

workshop. 


7 th Annual Transportation 

Planning Workshop a Success 

Ontario to Relax Drive Clean Rules 

The Ontario government will move to relax the rules around 

the Drive Clean emissions testing program. With the change, 

biannual mandatory emissions tests will not be required until a 

vehicle is at least seven years old. Currently, emissions tests are 

required after five years. 

Given technological advancements, the government says that 

the new seven year standard will be as effective in curbing 

polluting vehicles as the current five year requirement. 

In another change, testing will no longer be required when a 

driver is buying out a lease or when transferring ownership 

within a family, provided the vehicle has been tested within the 

past two years. 




Ontario has the Safest 

Roads in North America 

Excerpted from MTO’s 2008 Ontario Road Safety Annual Report 

Ontario has the safest roads in North America, 

according to the 2008 Ontario Road Safety Annual 

Report (ORSAR) which was released on May 4. 

ORSAR acts as a benchmark to gauge Ontario’s 

progress in improving road safety year-by-year. 

2008 marked the lowest fatality rate ever recorded 

in the province – 0.70 per 10,000 licensed drivers. 

Traffic fatalities and injuries in collisions involving 

speeding, drinking and driving and large trucks 

are all on the decline, as are fatalities among 

pedestrians and cyclists. 

Ontario placed first in all of North America’s 

jurisdictions. Ontario ranked well ahead of 

neighbouring jurisdictions such as New York 

(ranked 8th), Québec (9th), Michigan (20th) 

and Ohio (26th). Ontario has now ranked first 

or second for 10 years in a row, and has made 

significant progress in saving lives and reducing 

the severity of injuries. 


Distracted Driving 

Over the past ten years, the use of electronic 

devices has increased. At the same time, there 

has been a rising trend in distracted driving as a 

factor in fatal collisions. In 2008, the province 

addressed this situation and passed legislation 

banning the use of handheld electronic devices 

while driving. 

Key Road Safety Statistical Trends 

Between 1980 and 2008, the number of 

licensed drivers increased by 81 per cent. In 

contrast, the number of fatalities decreased 

by 58 per cent over this period. In 2008, 

62,743 people were injured (including minor, 

major and minimum injuries) in motor vehicle 

crashes, 38,624 fewer than in 1980. This 

puts the number of injuries on the province’s 

roadways at its lowest level since 1965. 

Pedestrians and Cyclists 

Between 1990 and 2008, the number of bicycle 

rider fatalities fluctuated between a high of 36 

in 1998 and a low of 9 in 2000. There were 12 

bicycle rider fatalities in 2008. 

Between 1990 and 2008, the number of 

pedestrian fatalities was highest in 1991 with 

157, and reached its lowest level in decades in 

2008 with 94. 

Preliminary Statistics for 2009 

Ontario’s road safety record showed continued 

improvement in 2008. The preliminary statistics 

for 2009 show another year of improvement. 

Figures show that both the number of fatalities 

and the rate of fatalities per 10,000 licensed 

drivers continue to decline. 


JUNE 12-14, 

2011 

DELTA 

GRANDVIEW 

HOTEL, 

HUNTSVILLE 

Event Hosted by: 

Ontario Traffic 

Council 

160 Lesmill Road 

Toronto, ON 

M3B 2T5 

Phone: 647-346-4050 

Fax: 647-346-4060 

E-mail: info@otc.org 

Web site: www.otc.org 

OTC is online at: 

http://www.otc.org/ 


OTC 61st ANNUAL CONFERENCE 

Convention Agenda 

SUNDAY, JUNE 12 

3:00 to 6:00 p.m. Registration @ Front Desk—Delta Huntsville 

3:00 to 6:00 p.m. Setup for the Exhibitors @ Multipurpose Salon 

6:00 to 7:00 p.m. Meeting of the OTC Traffic Engineering Committee @ The 

Owl’s Nest, location: adjacent to hotel front desk 

7:30 to 9:00 p.m. President’s Reception 

MONDAY, JUNE 13 

7:00 to 8:00 a.m. Extra Setup time for the Suppliers Showcase 

7:30 to 8:45 a.m. Registration & Breakfast @ Multipurpose Salon 


Above: O’Meara Golf Clubhouse 


MONDAY, JUNE 13 (continued) 

9:00 to 9:20 a.m. Opening Session 

The opening of the OTC Conference featuring remarks by Huntsville Mayor 

Claude Doughty and OTC President Ron Hamilton. 

9:20 to 9:55 a.m. Session: Annual Update from the Ontario Government on 

Current Transportation Issues at Queen’s Park 

Presenter: Gerry Chaput, Acting ADM ‐ Provincial Highways, MTO 

Join us for an informative session on the activities of the provincial government this 

past year and to answer your questions about traffic policy from the MTO. 

9:55 to 10:30 a.m. Session: Cambridge Core Areas Parking Master Plan 

Presenter: Stuart Anderson, IBI Group 

The City of Cambridge is at a critical point in its ongoing development, with a 

number of factors placing pressure on parking resources. The Core Areas Parking 

Master Plan was initiated to assess existing and future parking needs and develop a 

forward‐looking and sustainable parking plan. It included an investigation into a 

number of key issues with existing parking operations and identi�ed alternative 

methods of providing and managing parking. 

10:30 to 10:50 a.m. Break and Supplier Showcase SPONSORED BY 3M 

10:50 to 11:25 a.m. Session: Higher Order Transit on Hurontario/Main— 

More than a modal shift 

Presenter: Steve MacRae, Mississauga Transit 

The Hurontario/Main ‐ Higher Order Transit Feasibility Study was created to 

examine the potential for higher order transit on Hurontario Street between Port 

Credit in Mississauga and the Brampton GO Station. The initial project was 

developed to deal with passenger overcrowding and bus bunching on one of 

Mississauga's busiest roadways. Originally limited to transit, the project gained 

pro�le with the public and is now a catalyst for transitioning Mississauga from a 

suburban to an urban orientation. 

11:25 to 11:40 a.m. Welcome from the Suppliers 

11:40 to 1:00 p.m. Lunch and Supplier Showcase SPONSORED BY TACEL 

1:00 to 1:35 p.m. Session: Innovative Approaches to Road Safety: the Hamilton, 

Ontario Experience 

Presenter: Hart Solomon, City of Hamilton 

In response to the problem of personal injuries and property damage due to road 

crashes, the City of Hamilton has tried several new approaches. These include an 

umbrella group to manage safety, plus uniquely structured engineering and 

educational programs designed to reduce collisions. The presentation will describe 

these programs and give an assessment of the status and outcomes to date." 


Above: Overhead view of Delta 


MONDAY, JUNE 13 (continued) 

1:35 to 2:10 p.m. . Session: Hamilton Traffic Safety Communications 

Program: Putting Science Behind the Sizzle 

Presenter: Brian Malone, CIMA+ 

The City of Hamilton has implemented a strategic road safety program, one 

component of which is a communications and outreach effort. The goal of the 

program is to reduce collisions and it is recognized that a road safety marketing 

campaign is an integral part of the effort. What makes Hamilton's approach unique 

is the application of improved knowledge of human behaviour related to 

transportation safety and linking that knowledge to the communications and 

outreach campaign. CIMA+ working with marketing and communications �rm 

Brickworks is developing a program that will speci�cally target driver and pedestrian 

behaviours. This presentation will explain the approach that is being followed. 

2:10 to 2:30 p.m. Break and Supplier Showcase 

SPONSORED BY TES 

2:30 to 3:05 p.m. Session: WSIB and Others “Driving” Change in the New 

Work Environment 

Presenter: Brian Patterson, Ontario Safety League 

Driving today can represent a signi�cant liability for employers and an increased 

risk when using untrained employee drivers. We will review best practices within 

the motor vehicle sector, addressing current trends and safety system support. Pro‐ 

active driver training, the ongoing testing evaluation of drivers and the regulatory 

impact of the HTA and WSIB will be our primary focus. 

3:05 to 3:40 p.m Session: Effective Communications for Winter Road 

Maintenance 

Presenter: Peter Noehammer, City of Toronto 

Although this presentation describes techniques used by a large municipality to 

convey information to people about winter snow and ice control, similar 

communication strategies can be developed and implemented for a variety of 

services delivered by public sector agencies to keep stakeholders informed. 

BREAK 

6:15 p.m. Convention Dinner Buses to leave from Delta Front Desk to go 

to Mark O’Meara Clubhouse for reception and dinner. 

9:00 p.m. Special Performance Buses to depart for Deerhurst Theater for a 

special performance for all delegates. 


Above: View from the lake 

TUESDAY, JUNE 14 


8:00 to 9:00 a.m. AGM Registration and Breakfast @ Multipurpose Salon 

8:45 to 9:00 a.m. OTC Annual General Meeting 

The AGM features the 2010 Annual Report from the OTC President, 

presentation of the OTC’s Auditor Report for 2010 and an election to 

�ll vacancies on the Board of Directors. 

9:00 to 9:35 a.m. Session: Bicycle Facilities—Lessons for OTM Book 18 

Presenter: Marc Jolicoeur, Velo Quebec 

Vélo Québec’s Research Director will discuss lessons learned and share key design 

ideas which helped create the 1990 and 2003 editions of the Technical Handbook of 

Bikeway Design, as well as the new Planning and Design for Pedestrians and Cyclists 

(2010). Marc will also explain how some of these innovative ideas and designs can 

inform Ontario Traffic Manual Book 18: Bicycle Facilities. 

9:35 to 10:10 a.m. Session: Transit Signal Priority—The Brampton 

Experience 

Presenter: Mike Parks and Craig Kummer, City of Brampton 

In 2007, the City of Brampton, in partnership with the federal and provincial 

governments, secured funding to implement Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) along three 

corridors within Brampton. On September 20, 2010, the City unveiled the result of 

that partnership: Züm, its new BRT service. This presentation will provide an update 

on the status of the multi year project and the technology used. 

10:10 to 10:30 a.m. Break and Supplier Showcase 

10:30 to 11:05 a.m. Session: Roundabout Evaluation Methodologies 

Presenter: Goran Nikolic, MTO 

This presentation will highlight the MTO Traffic Planning’s ongoing investigation of 

evaluation methodologies and performance measures assessment with respect to 

comparative signalized and roundabout intersection operations analysis. 

11:05 to 12:15 p.m. Session: Collision Prevention Through Environmental 

Design 

Presenter: Chief Superintendent Bill Grodzinski, OPP 

CPTED is an approach to building and property planning and development that 

reduces opportunities for crime. Communities, neighbourhoods, streets, and parks 

can all be made safer through the application of design principles that make it more 

difficult to carry out inappropriate or criminal activities. As the Commander of OPP 

Highway Safety Division since 2005, Chief Superintendent Grodzinski is responsible for 

leading traffic operations, including policing of the busiest highways in North America. 

12:15 to 1:30 p.m. Closing Lunch and OTC Awards presentation 

SPONSORED BY MMM GROUP 

1:30 p.m. Adjournment of the 61st Annual Convention 


2:00 to 5:00 p.m. Meeting of the OTM Book 18 Steering Committee

OT Magazine - Ontario Traffic Conference (OTC)

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