Mobile phones to ease traffic congestion in Toronto

Texting and talking while driving is illegal in Canada, but that doesn't mean your mobile phone can be of assistance during your daily commute.

Starting this January the Regional Municipality of York in the heart of the Greater Toronto Area will begin using technology created by Waterloo's Intelligent Mechatronic Systems (IMS) to monitor and ease traffic congestion starting in January.

Using IMS Traffic Intelligence technology, the mobile phone signals of drivers stuck in traffic will contribute to a live-traffic report. IMS Traffic Intelligence uses the pings your mobile phone makes to nearby towers to create an accurate, city-wide map of traffic patterns in the area.

The Municipality of York will use this data to sync traffic lights and plan road improvements so they can better relieve gridlock throughout the city. They also plan to offer a smartphone app to provide real-time traffic information to drivers so they can plot out the quickest commute before getting into the car.