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Building Communications between Countries

The France-Ontario Innovative Transit and Transportation Technologies Conference was held in Toronto on December 1-2, 2003. The conference assembled public and private sector professionals from Ontario and France for an exchange of information, ideas and expertise in urban transit, highway planning and design, and high-technology transportation applications. The event was planned and managed in partnership by the Ontario Ministry of Transportation, the French Economic Commission in Toronto, the French Ministry for Infrastructure, Transport, Tourism and the Sea, Ontario Exports Inc., Canadian Urban Transit Association, the Toronto Transit Commission, GO Transit, Alcatel, Ubifrance, the City of Toronto and Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Canada.

The participants heard presentations on major transit and highway infrastructure projects, intelligent transportation systems and publicprivate partnerships in both Ontario and France.

Ten French companies and five government officials from France interacted with over twenty-five Ontario companies, representatives from seven transit authorities, five associations, York University research institute, the City of Toronto and Ontario's Ministry of Transportation, Ministry of Economic Development & Trade and Ministry of Public Infrastructure Renewal, as well as representatives from Transport Canada.

Through a series of workshops and one-on-one meetings, attendees reviewed the latest French technology and expertise in transit and transportation. Presentation highlights from French delegates included:

* A toll road in Paris that separates light and heavy traffic through a system of tunnels and tariff charges.

* A video surveillance system on transit buses that is connected to a security command post to ensure a prompt emergency response and increase passenger safety.

* A multi-use transit card that can be reloaded at different sites, including card-operated public telephones, banking terminals and Internet access systems. This card can also be used for small purchases in shops, vending machines and pay phones.

* A subway-integrated Light Rail Transit system designed to preserve historical buildings and landmarks while also allowing for seamless, efficient travel.

* Energy-savings and cost-savings achieved by integrating control centre functions and on-board functions of subway and rail transport.

* Reducing private car use by implementing technological applications in parking lots. These applications monitor lot usage, parking space availability and provide extra perks for customers. Such perks include perfume ventilated lots, access to umbrellas and access to bicycles that customers can borrow for the ride to work.

On this occasion, the Ontario Minister of Transportation, the Honorable Harinder Takhar, and the French Minister of Transport, the Honorable Dominique Bussereau, signed a reciprocal Driver's License Agreement. This agreement allows both jurisdictions to officially exchange licenses without requiring citizens to take required knowledge and road tests; this means that an Ontario driver's license is valid in France, and vice-versa. This agreement officially came into effect on February 1, 2004. A Memorandum of Understanding was also signed between ITS Canada and ITS France to facilitate the exchange of industry-related information, promote visits to ITS deployment sites in Canada and France, and to increase networking opportunities.

On December 2, 2003, the Ten French Companies visited the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC), City of Toronto Traffic Management Centre and 407 Express Toll-Route (ETR) facilities. They learned about the different technologies used at each facility and enjoyed the opportunity to discuss issues and projects with site managers. The Ontario technologies showcased during these visits included:

* Transponder tolling system of the 407 ETR: a small electronic device mounted in a vehicle that automatically records the beginning and end of the trip when the vehicle passes under an overhead gantry when entering or exiting Hwy. 407.

* New Sheppard subway line.

* Traffic control signals used by the City of Toronto.

* The Remote Traffic Information System (RTIS) of Toronto, which uses sensors, such as the SCOOT and TRANSCORE pavement detectors, which are buried in the road to measure the average speed of road traffic.

* RESCU highway management in Toronto: a freeway/corridor traffic management system that provides traffic information along a 30 km road corridor through the Gardiner Expressway, Lake Shore Boulevard and part of the Don Valley Parkway.

The conference was a great success, with over 60 meetings held between French and Ontario companies over the course of the event. This beneficial exchange of information and technology may foster new projects or other trade missions in the future between Ontario and France.

As part of its mandate, MTO's Policy Coordination Office manages and coordinates MTO's involvement in international projects such as this conference, and provides assistance to Ontario transportation sector companies in their pursuit of international projects.