Toronto could see bus-only lanes on Dufferin and Bathurst streets ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup

Dozens of radical lined up to statement the aboriginal of precedence autobus lanes astatine an enforcement committee gathering Wednesday, wherever metropolis councillors yet voted to determination guardant with a program to instal bus-only lanes connected Bathurst and Dufferin streets southbound of Bloor Street W. 

The Surface Transit Network Plan, dubbed RapidTO, is simply a metropolis inaugural with the Toronto Transit Commission that aims to instrumentality the precedence transit lanes.

Previously, the RapidTO program projected the lanes widen up to Eglinton Avenue W.  A scaled backmost mentation of the archetypal program was presented by metropolis unit astatine the committee gathering Wednesday. 

But Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow is hoping to revert the program backmost to its archetypal design, recommending that the Dufferin Street bus-only lane proceed each the mode northbound to Wilson Station and the Bathurst Street bus-only lanes widen to Eglinton Avenue W. 

"Congestion is simply a occupation successful the city," Chow said astatine a quality league up of the meeting. "Nothing has arsenic ample an interaction arsenic amended nationalist transit."

At the meeting, metropolis unit reported the watered-down mentation of RapidTO would prevention 5 minutes successful full connected Dufferin Street and 3 minutes connected the Bathurst Street autobus route, making them 29 and 13 per cent faster, respectively. An estimated 6,000 radical thrust the Dufferin autobus and 3,000 thrust connected the way during greeting highest hours, unit said.

If implemented, the program could bring successful up to 21,000 caller riders, Chow added.

Residents torn connected the idea

The ballot to walk the question came aft hours of deputations, some successful favour of and against the implementation of the precedence postulation lanes. 

Protect Bathurst is simply a radical of residents and concern owners who reason RapidTO developments. Spokesperson Paul Macchiusi says the figures aren't adding up and that determination hasn't been capable consultation with the residents of the neighbourhoods wherever the lanes would beryllium implemented. 

He besides said the removal of parking spots for the bus-only lanes would interaction concern for section stores. Instead, Macchiusi suggested implementing high-occupancy conveyance lanes and turning restrictions during highest unreserved hours.

Andrew Pulsifer, enforcement manager of TTCRiders, a transit advocacy organization, says that is simply not true.

"Transit users store too. And I conscionable can't ideate that autobus lanes allowing much radical to entree your store would person that overmuch of an interaction connected your sales," helium said.

For acold excessively long, transit users person been placed connected the back-burner, Pulsifer says.

"Transit users bash consciousness similar they're being told 'no' a batch these days. No, you'll person to unrecorded with dilatory zones. No, overcrowding is conscionable a information of life. No, we can't spend to tally buses much often," helium said.

Pulsifer and others supporting the question are asking for clearer timelines connected the mayor's question to analyse the feasibility of bus-only lanes northbound of Bloor Street W.

Many businesses accidental they request parking

Councillors are conscionable arsenic divided arsenic constituents. University-Rosedale Coun. Dianne Saxe, whose ward includes Bathurst Street, says she's spent clip consulting with her assemblage and a scaled backmost mentation of the archetypal RapidTO program is much beneficial.

"It makes consciousness to effort archetypal conscionable clearing the eastbound lane, which we tin bash with parking successful crook changes, extending the nary stopping zone, and spot if that solves the problem," she said.

Saxe added that determination are 60 businesses connected Bathurst Street betwixt Bloor Street W. and Dupont Street.

"They've made a beauteous credible lawsuit to maine that they request immoderate entree to parking and that astatine the infinitesimal determination are precise fewer options for them if determination is nary parking ever 24/7 connected Bathurst," she said.

But Davenport Coun. Alejandra Bravo, whose ward includes Dufferin Street, says she's besides spoken to her residents and the immense bulk believes autobus lanes are a priority.

"People being stuck connected a autobus that's moving an mean of 10 km/h is truly bad. It's atrocious politics, it's atrocious policy," she said Wednesday. "It's not [a] bully usage of nationalist dollars. It's atrocious for the climate. And radical get to enactment late, they get to schoolhouse late. That's not bully for the section system either."

Bravo and Saxe some made recommendations to the unit to look into information concerns for pedestrians, loading zones and alternate parking.

300,000 visitors expected for 2026 FIFA World Cup

The Toronto Region Board of Trade (TRBT) agrees, saying successful a station connected LinkedIn Tuesday that congestion is the apical situation facing the city.

"We urge that City officials revisit and grow the projected #RapidTO program to see a transportation to Eglinton," the station read.

It added that portion businesses person raised concerns astir the reduced car access, their main occupation is, successful fact, gridlock.

"We indispensable determination guardant with bold, evidence-based solutions to get radical and goods moving efficiently on Toronto's captious arterial roads," TRBT's president and CEO Giles Gherson said.

The question to follow priority-access lanes connected Bathurst and Dufferin Streets volition beryllium presented astatine metropolis assembly adjacent week. 

If passed, Toronto could spot autobus and streetcar-only lanes up of the six 2026 FIFA World Cup games the metropolis is hosting, which Chow says could bring successful up to 300,000 visitors.