INDUSTRY EVENT
cars will be used as they’re needed. “Fit the use to the need,” as the attendee said. Antonio Gomez-Palladio of design and engineering firm DIALOG moderated one of the panels at the event. He has acted as the Chair of the Toronto Society of Architects, as well as the inaugural Chair of the City of Vaughn’s Design Review Panel. “We’re going to figure out how to automate all the pieces of the distribution system,” he said. “And
Last year Robinson pushed for a report on how the City of Toronto could prepare for the arrival and expansion of AV technology. “There are still too many unknowns to present a business case or strategic plan. It still seems early days, and there is not a lot of research out there. But Toronto learned its lesson about overlooking the disruptive effects of new technologies when Uber came into use. That surprised many and overturned
The old model of what constituted a car is quickly being eroded. then we can ask, ‘does Wal-Mart need all that space for the parking lot?’ We’ll rethink our entire city. We need to start to think about all these chunks of land and systems that exist.” Jaye Robinson is the City Councilor for Toronto’s Don Valley West ward and the Chair of the Public Works and Infrastructure Committee. She also sits on the City of Toronto executive committee. She spearheaded Toronto’s first-ever Vision Zero Road Safety Plan, a comprehensive, city-wide strategy to develop and deliver international road safety programs. She sees AVs as a part of the solution.
existing businesses. We weren’t ready for Uber. Council wasn’t proactive. The technology got in front of council. And we don’t want a repeat of that. It was difficult to figure out,” said Robinson. In response, Robinson has staff working on this issue. Toronto is one of the first regions in the world with a dedicated staff member on this issue. “Staff are working on that file. It’s a three-year study for vehicle automation. Congestion and gridlock are the big challenges in this city now. We’ve got to work on that. Mayor John Tory is very passionate about this,” said Robinson.
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