City to ramp up live traffic monitoring system in London, Ont.

The City of London is aiming to improve the city's traffic flow by installinglive traffic monitoring cameras at 80 different locations throughout the summer and fall.

The City says they will use the live footage of roads to help manage traffic incidents across London.

"The new cameras will help inform the City, emergency services, and public transit of collisions or delays that are causing unexpected traffic conditions during peak travel periods," said Jon Kostyniuk, Traffic and Transportation Engineer at the City of London. "The new traffic cameras will be placed across London on busier roads that have bus routes and high volumes of traffic."

The cameras will be used for live monitoringand willonly be recorded forlimited traffic studies. Live footage is also used to inform signal timing adjustments.

They will not record traffic infractions or vehicle speed, unlike those used as part of the City's red-light camera program. The camerasalso differ from those planned for future use in the upcoming automated speed enforcement camera program.

Cameraswill be installed to point only at roadsand not at private properties, according to the City.

Nine intersections have already been upgraded with the traffic monitoring cameras. An additional 16 intersections are scheduled for installation in the coming weeks.

While crews upgrade the traffic signals, temporary lane restrictions will be needed at each intersection for approximately a few hours.

Kostyniuk confirmed that the upgrades are a part of the City's Transportation Intelligent Mobility Management System project, which aims to improve London's traffic flow.

He said Londoners should expect to hear about more additions to the overall traffic system in the near future.