ActiveTO's most popular road closure unlikely to return in 2021 due to 'intolerable' traffic concerns

A complicated nearby construction project cannot be delayed, city says

CBC.ca
March 23, 2021

The most popular road closure of Toronto's ActiveTO program in 2020 is unlikely to be repeated this year due to a major nearby construction project, which the city says cannot be delayed.

A report on the next iteration of Toronto's pandemic-inspired active transportation program, ActiveTO, recommends the suspension of the closure of Lake Shore Boulevard West between Windermere Avenue and Stadium Road.

That stretch was one of several major roads that were closed during weekends and holidays last year in a bid to promote walking, running and cycling in accordance with physical distancing recommendations.

Toronto's Infrastructure and Environment Committee will review the report, which calls for other tweaks to the ActiveTO program, on Tuesday.

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The report says a major ongoing construction project at the complicated King-Queen-Queensway-Roncesvalles (KQQR) intersection means the closure of Lake Shore Boulevard West to vehicle traffic "cannot be accommodated" in either 2021 or 2022.

Delaying project impossible, local councillor says
Coun. Gord Perks, who represents Ward 4, Parkdale-High Park and is one of council's staunchest supporters of environmental initiatives and cycling infrastructure, said the project has been years in the making and that delaying it now would be impossible.

"I'm not exaggerating when I say it is one of the most complex urban infrastructure projects we have had in Toronto in decades," Perks told CBC Toronto.

Perks said the city has explored the possibility of continuing construction while also entirely closing Lake Shore Boulevard West, but that the resulting traffic delays and streetcar diversions would make the situation "intolerable."

While the construction project would override a program designed to promote cycling and active transportation, it does have some similar goals.

The purpose of the KQQR project, Perks said, is to make the intersection "safer, greener, more pedestrian and cyclist-friendly."

The project also involves significantly modifying the physical layout of the interaction, in addition to the replacement of streetcar tracks, water mains and sewage infrastructure.

Lake Shore West drew thousands more cyclists than other closures
If the decision to suspend the closure goes ahead as planned, residents will lose access to what proved to be the busiest ActiveTO location for cycling last year.

According to city statistics, the closed stretch of Lake Shore Boulevard West was used by an average of 18,000 cyclists and 4,000 pedestrians during a typical 15-hour period on weekend days without significant rainfall.

Bike-share stations along the route also saw a 142 per cent increase in usage.

The ActiveTO road closure of Lake Shore Boulevard East drew 6,300 cyclists and 5,300 pedestrians over the same period, while the closure of Bayview Avenue attracted an average of 2,000 cyclists and 300 pedestrians (though a similar number of people continued to use the adjacent Don Valley Trail).

"People are really looking for spaces to get outside and be active," said Keagan Gartz, the executive director of the advocacy group Cycle Toronto.

The group has been campaigning for the city to consider options such as closing the road for select weekends or converting part of the road for cyclists and pedestrians.

Lake Shore Boulevard West is six lanes wide for the most of the section closed last year.

"We don't think it has to be all or nothing." Gartz added. "There are solutions to these challenges."

City will be asked to consider solutions

Coun. Jennifer McKelvie, who represents Ward 25, Scarborough-Rouge Park and is chair of the Infrastructure and Environment Committee, said she plans to ask city staff to reconsider its recommendation during Tuesday's meeting.

"The popularity that we saw on the route last year does suggest that we should have a second look at this," said McKelvie, though she acknowledged that a full closure of the road is not likely.

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McKelvie noted the continuing ActiveTO closures in other parts of the city, as well as a proposed pilot project to add bike lanes on Yonge Street in midtown Toronto as alternatives.

"I think that while we are looking at less on Lake Shore West, hopefully across the city we can see more," McKelvie said.