Ottawa, Canada, a prominent G7 capital, boasts a rich history of innovation and a vibrant community of over 1.3 million residents, earning the nickname “Silicon Valley North”. This innovative spirit and eagerness to experiment have positioned the City at the forefront of change, rather than waiting for it to arrive. This article explores Ottawa’s journey in transforming its mobility infrastructure through cutting-edge technology and collaborative efforts.

In the mid-1990s, Ottawa’s Traffic Services embraced this innovative path, preparing the City for the impending digital and autonomous era. At that time, computers were just beginning to appear in progressive workplaces, and intelligent vehicle-highway systems were the buzzwords. Faced with a growing city and an increasingly complex traffic network, Traffic Services recognized that the future of transportation would be driven by technology and innovation. This foresight led to the development of connected and automated vehicle (CAV) functionalities.

Building a Foundation

As an early pioneer in bus rapid transit (BRT), Ottawa focused on enhancing transit service reliability as ridership grew. One technological solution explored was Transit Signal Priority (TSP). However, faced with the challenge of upgrading the existing traffic signal system to include TSP, the City developed its own system. This development laid the groundwork for integrating connected and automated vehicle (CAV) functionality into its operations.

Ottawa City Council’s approval of an action plan that focused on innovative solutions was pivotal in empowering engineers, technologists, and technicians to explore cutting-edge technologies, test new hypotheses, and lead the mobility revolution. This funding advanced projects both internally and private sector partners, including the development of Signal Phase and Timing (SPaT) messages and a corridor adaptive signal system. In collaboration with Blackberry QNX, in 2017, Ottawa conducted the first on-street test of an autonomous vehicle that communicated with city infrastructure, marking a significant milestone in Canada’s journey towards smart mobility.

Adaptive signal systems automate signal timing plan selection based on current traffic conditions; a task previously handled manually by Traffic Operations staff. While preset time-of-day plans are in place, the system can recognize the earlier afternoon peak traffic period on Christmas Eve and activate the peak period timing plans accordingly, ensuring a more efficient commute home for residents.

Funding has also enabled advanced research and development capabilities, unlocking several projects with Transport Canada. One notable project is the deployment of a cellular-based Green Light Optimized Speed Advisory (GLOSA) system in collaboration with Thompson Technologies and Traffic Technology Services (now Miovision). The EcoDrive project demonstrated that providing drivers with advanced knowledge of upcoming signal phases and recommended driving speeds to reach signals during the green phase could improve fuel efficiency by up to 15%. Building on the success of this testing, the City of Ottawa is exploring opportunities to include other vehicles in the City fleet, such as snowplows, to better understand the effectiveness of different driving patterns for various types of vehicles.

The City of Ottawa’s commitment to innovation is exemplified by its support for Area X.O, an research and development facility dedicated to next-generation smart mobility, autonomy, and connectivity. This facility includes a public and private test area spanning 1,866 acres, with 16 km of roadway equipped with Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) infrastructure to support connected and automated vehicle (CAV) testing and vulnerable road user safety. Features include operational traffic lights, a level rail crossing, and world-leading communications infrastructure with 5G technology. This setup allows new technologies to be tested and validated in a secure environment before being introduced on public roads.

A Multi-modal Approach

Area X.O and the City have collaborated on several impactful projects with Transport Canada, the Province, and industry partners.  These initiatives include progressively advanced testing of automated shuttles—beginning in a controlled park environment, advancing to the first low-speed automated shuttle operating on a public road, and most recently, deploying a new medium-speed automated shuttle on public roads within the Canada’s largest technology park. Road safety has also been a focus, with projects related to technologies that assist in detecting and protecting vulnerable road users at intersections, facilitating CAV interaction at level rail crossings (Ottawa has 68 of them in the Ottawa) and enhancing vehicle-to-vehicle communications.

Separately, the City is focused on developing bike detector road bollard technologies that provide a visual cue to cyclists, indicating they have been detected. Additionally, the City is examining the potential benefits of key fob and mobile app technologies to enable the activation of a pedestrian or bike call to the traffic signal controller.

Sharing Ideas

After a quarter century of actively pursuing new technologies, Ottawa has a culture of innovation resonating in the mobility space. This year, Ottawa is proud to host the Intelligent Transportation Systems Canada (ITS Canada) 2025 Annual Conference & Expo from May 21-23^rd.  This event will bring together over 300 delegates from across Canada, the United States and Europe will gather to hear from more than 120 speakers from government, private sectors, and companies, sharing ideas and lessons learned about making our roads safer and more efficient.

As co-chair of the conference, I’m delighted that we’ll be able to share the work that has been done in Ottawa with the world and enable delegates to experience technical tours of Area X.O, the National Research Council’s Automotive & Surface Transportation Lab, our traffic operations centre, and so much more.  You can learn more about the conference at www.itscanada2025.ca