City Launches New Online Application for Construction and Traffic Restrictions

Jul 6, 2016

For immediate release
Wednesday, July 6, 2016

City Launches New Online Application for Construction and Traffic Restrictions

The City of Greater Sudbury is proud to launch a new web-based, mobile friendly, traffic application that identifies areas where road and traffic restrictions are taking place in Greater Sudbury.

The Road and Traffic Restrictions (RATR) application allows residents and local businesses to identify areas where road work is being undertaken by the City, contractors, utility companies, rail companies, private companies, and more. RATR will appeal to motorists, pedestrians and cyclists and will allow people to plan the best route, according to where traffic delays may be experienced. RATR also offers suggested detours and an outlook on where future road projects will take place.

“This is an important piece of our City’s Open Government model and making information available to the public,” said Mayor Brian Bigger. “By providing easy access to use and share this information, we are helping residents and businesses to effectively plan their commute around construction that may be underway in our community.”

The RATR application was created by City staff including the Information Technology Division and Engineering Division. RATR combines the power of the City’s MapIT, a cloud-based location platform, with internal enterprise systems, to provide a comprehensive view of the City's road and traffic restrictions. MapIT puts I.T. in mapping and broadens geographic information systems (GIS) use to a new ecosystem of users by providing easy to use tools for both employees and the public.

The information displayed on the application is being made available through the Road Occupancy By-law (2011-218) and permit process. When roads or traffic is expected to be affected by construction work, road occupancy must be granted. That information is then uploaded to the RATR application.

“The creation and implementation of this application involved many departments coming together to bring valuable information to our residents,” said Tony Cecutti, General Manager of Infrastructure Services. “This application is a great example of departments working together to not only bring a new service to the public, but also to improve internal operations for staff.”

Other features noted on the map include City capital projects, proposed subdivision development, as well as those currently under construction, and identifies where businesses with permits for sidewalk cafés/outdoor patios can be found.

The link to RATR is available at www.greatersudbury.ca/maps.

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