The southern portion of Midland Ave. in Scarborough is a collector road that is also part of the Waterfront Trail used by pedestrians, runners and cyclists. As per City of Toronto policy, the City plans to take advantage of work on this road to install sidewalks on both sides. Installing the sidewalk along with other work will greatly reduce the cost.
In response to local opposition to this sidewalk, the local councillor, Gary Crawford, has submitted a motion to the Public Works and Infrastructure Committee to stop the installation of this sidewalk. (The motion attempts to muddle the issue by calling for the installation of a sidewalk further north – something the City already plans to do when it gets the opportunity).
Walk Toronto has submitted a detailed deputation to the Public Works and Infrastructure Committee in support of the sidewalk installation. It is very important for improving pedestrian safety that the City policy of installing sidewalks on collector roads be consistently implemented, especially when it is part of a designated pedestrian trail. Read all of the reasons for installing a sidewalk on Midland Ave. (PDF) in our deputation.
UPDATE: the Public Works and Infrastructure Committee deferred this motion to their October meeting. At the October meeting, the the Committee voted 4-0 to support the sidewalk. The item did not need to get approved by council, so this decision is final and the sidewalk will go ahead as planned.
