York Region ITS Strategic Plan

York Region is one of the largest Regional municipalities in Canada and the fastest growing Region in the Greater Toronto Area. The Region's Transportation Services is responsible for the operation and maintenance of over 900 kilometres of Regional Roads covering an area of nearly 1800 square kilometres, from the City of Toronto to the south, to Lake Simcoe in the north. With rapid growth has come a need to find innovative methods of managing congestion. Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) technologies provide staff with another tool to monitor, manage traffic flow, manage congestion, and provide alternate route information to travelers, as well as save lives, time and money. As a result Region staff initiated a Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Strategic Plan. York Region includes nine local municipalities. In addition, it is bordered by the City of Toronto, Durham Region, and Peel Region. Therefore, it was essential to perform coalition building with the twenty-five agencies who participated in the strategic planning process. Each regional ITS Strategic Plan is different, and this paper will discuss the process, the identified needs, and the specific deployment plan for York Region.