Item - 2019.IE8.7

The Infrastructure and Environment Committee recommends that:

1. City Council adopt the Automated Vehicles Tactical Plan as contained in Attachment 1 to the report (October 2, 2019) from the General Manager, Transportation Services as the framework for guiding future policy decisions related to automated vehicles in Toronto and request the General Manager, Transportation Services and other relevant Division Heads to report to the appropriate committee where additional authorities are required in order to implement the tactics as necessary.

2. City Council direct the General Manager, Transportation Services, the Chief Planner and Executive Director City Planning, the Chief Technology Officer, Information and Technology, the General Manager, Fleet Services and the General Manager, Economic Development and Culture to implement the proposed three-year Automated Vehicle Readiness Schedule as contained in Attachment 2 to the report (October 2, 2019) from the General Manager, Transportation Services including the Automated Shuttle Trial, Transportation Innovation Zones, Testing Response and Incident Preparedness, Human Learning and Research and Development Program projects, and to report to the appropriate committee where additional authorities are required in order to implement proposed actions in the Readiness Schedule.

3. City Council authorize the General Manager, Transportation Services to implement and operate an automated shuttle trial serving the Rouge Hill GO Transit Station in partnership with the TTC and Metrolinx and to negotiate, enter into, and execute any and all agreements, including with third-party private vendor(s), as may be required to implement and/or give effect to the automated shuttle trial, upon terms and conditions satisfactory to the General Manager, Transportation Services, and in a form satisfactory to the City Solicitor

4. City Council direct the General Manager, Transportation Services, the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning, the Chief Technology Officer, Information and Technology and the General Manager, Fleet Services to seek external opportunities to fund and/or enhance the implementation of the Automated Vehicles Tactical Plan.

5. City Council direct the General Manager, Transportation Services to report back to the Infrastructure and Environment Committee on a proposed framework for, and designation of, innovation zones in the City of Toronto by the fourth quarter of 2020.

6. City Council direct the General Manager, Transportation Services to publish an annual status report on the implementation of the Automated Vehicles Tactical Plan, and to report to the Infrastructure and Environment Committee with a full status report in the second quarter of 2022.

7. City Council forward this report to the Minister of Transportation for Ontario and the federal Minister of Transport, requesting the following:

a. A meeting to discuss how the provincial and federal governments could collaborate with the City of Toronto on the implementation of the Automated Vehicles Tactical Plan;

b. A public education initiative to reduce instances of distracted driving arising from the misuse of partial automation technology;

c. A public education initiative to increase awareness of how other road users, including public transit users, should interact with automated vehicles.

The Automated Vehicles (AV) Tactical Plan proposes an actionable path forward to prepare the City of Toronto for the introduction of highly automated vehicles - or driverless cars - on city streets, in public transit, and in the delivery of municipal services. The AV Tactical Plan builds on existing policies and strategies approved by City Council, recognizing that transportation automation should be a tool to help realize, and not hinder, the City's established vision for the future. To that end, the Plan sets the foundation for a future transportation system that optimizes mobility with improved social equity and health, environmental and economic sustainability, protection of privacy, integrated transportation options centred on public transit, increased efficiency, and progress toward achieving Vision Zero.

The AV Tactical Plan is a layered document that interprets the City's strategic vision for mobility and translates it into a set of seven high-level directions outlining how the City will support and manage the adoption of automated vehicles. A series of goals illustrate how the seven directions will look in the year 2050, together painting a picture of the future transportation system. The actions required to achieve those goals are identified as tactics, with a proposed level of progress to be reached over the next three years. A view to the potential use of automated vehicles in City operations is also included.

This first phase of preparation is intended to ensure that the City of Toronto is "AV Ready" in 2022 by undertaking an automated shuttle trial in the West Rouge neighbourhood, establishing focus areas for transportation innovation, developing AV testing response and incident preparedness protocols, undertaking public education initiatives, and furthering research and development. Details of these proposals are included in the AV Readiness Schedule and Budget 2020-22 for an estimated $6.289M.

The proposed AV Tactical Plan was developed under the leadership of the City's Interdivisional Working Group on Automated Vehicles, which is comprised of 30 divisions and agencies, with substantial support from and consultation with academic institutions, community stakeholders and non-profits, automotive and technology industry members and associations, international experts, and the general public.