The major Canadian city has become known for its “gridlock.” That’s a way of saying “lots of traffic jams.”
John Tory won the recent mayoral election in Toronto. During his campaign, he said he wanted to fix Toronto’s traffic problems.
On Thursday, he outlined his solutions.
He said Toronto police will give tickets to cars that block roads during “rush hour.” Rush hour happens during the morning and evening when people are trying to drive to and from work or school. It’s the busiest time of the day for traffic. When cars block roads during rush hour, it makes things a lot worse.
He will also be more strict with companies, such as construction firms, whose trucks and cars block traffic.
Tory is launching a “traffic enforcement team” that will use special cameras and helicopters to figure out where the worst traffic problems are, so police can clear the areas.
He is also going to change the traffic lights in the city so the flow of traffic is smoother.
Tory announced his new plan at a media conference in Toronto on Thursday.
CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS
By Jonathan Tilly
Writing/Discussion Prompt
John Tory is going to try to solve an annoying problem, traffic. What annoying problem would you like your mayor to solve?
Reading Prompt:
In today’s article, some of Tory’s main solutions and ideas are shared. Do you think his plan will work? Why or why not? What suggestions would you have?
Primary
Make inferences about texts using stated and implied ideas from the texts as evidence (OME, Reading: 1.5).
Junior
Use stated and implied ideas in texts to make inferences and construct meaning (OME, Reading: 1.5).
Intermediate
Develop and explain interpretations of increasingly complex or difficult texts using stated and implied ideas from the texts to support their interpretations (OME, Reading: 1.5).
Language Feature: Alliteration
Alliteration is a technique that is used by authors for a number of reasons. Techniques such as these are called literary devices. Alliteration is a literary device in which the sounds at the beginning of a word are repeated. The title of today’s article is a great example of alliteration: Tory To Tackle Toronto’s Traffic Troubles.
Write your own title for today’s article using alliteration.
