Category: Latest Issues

A safer, friendlier Avenue Road is almost within reach – but we need your help for a final push! We’re asking our supporters to complete the Avenue Road Study survey to show you strongly support the plan. You can also attend a public drop-in consultation on Thursday October 19.

After many years of advocacy by the Avenue Road Safety Coalition (Walk Toronto is a member), the City of Toronto has finally prepared a real plan to quickly narrow Avenue Road between Bloor and St. Clair to four lanes of motor traffic. The plan will slow vehicle speeds, create a safer and more attractive pedestrian experience, and install bike lanes from Bloor to Davenport.

But the plan needs strong support from local residents and people across Toronto in order to get City Council and City staff to move forward with it and provide the funding needed to make it happen. That’s why we need you to fill out the City’s survey and, if possible, show up at the City consultation on Oct. 19.

The survey will take you through parts or all of the plan in detail (you can choose how much to look at). In order to move quickly, the City is proposing to use planters, barriers, platforms and paint to widen the pedestrian zone and reduce the number of lanes of motor traffic. (The City has successfully used this strategy elsewhere to quickly narrow streets, such as on the Danforth). In some cases, the survey provides options to choose from. You can move through the survey quickly by simply indicating your strong support, or look more closely and provide comments – it’s up to you.

The impact of the plan on motor traffic will be minimal – just a minute of extra travel time at most. But the impact for people living in this area and for people walking on Avenue Road will be immense. Instead of a wide, fast, dangerous semi-highway, Avenue Road will begin its transformation into a normal major street, where local residents and visitors feel comfortable walking and can cross in safety, and motor traffic moves at a steady pace rather than racing through. This quick transformation will set the stage for a more fundamental makeover when the street is ready to be fully rebuilt in the future.

But again, it won’t happen unless you show your support. Staff and politicians pay a lot of attention to survey results – please fill in the survey noting your strong support for all the changes. Ten minutes of your time can help create positive changes that will last a lifetime.

• Complete the survey (open until Nov. 2)
• Attend the meeting (Thursday Oct. 19, drop in 4-8 pm, Timothy Eaton Memorial Church (West Assembly Hall), 230 St. Clair Avenue West)

Toronto is plagued by faded crosswalk markings, and Walk Toronto is starting a campaign to try to fix that problem. We contacted City staff to ask about this – while there is a regular refresh program, they also add 311 requests to their list. So, when you see faded markings, take a pic and contact 311.

There is in fact a specific 311 web page for submitting faded pavement markings. You can also contact them by phone (311), by email (311@toronto.ca), on Twitter (@311Toronto), or even by a dedicated app.

By reminding staff of the size of the problem and that people care, we might be able to get faster action and more resources to maintain this basic pedestrian infrastructure. You can also copy your city councillor to raise their awareness of the problem.

Walk Toronto is part of the Safe and Active Streets for All campaign for the 2023 mayoral by-election. The campaign is encouraging candidates to support 10 priority actions to make Toronto’s streets safer, and asking candidates to fill out a survey about what measures they would support.

Voters can show their support for the campaign by signing a pledge.

1. Building Complete Streets across every ward in Toronto
2. Establishing and Implementing a Vision Zero Safety Checklist
3. Streamlining the traffic calming process equitably across the city
4. Reducing traffic speed on our streets to 30 km/h and 40 km/h on all arterial roads city-wide
5. Improving the safety and accessibility for people walking and using mobility devices
6. Accelerating the Cycling Network Plan to provide safe and connected bike lanes in every ward
7. Funding & supporting Active School Travel programs to ensure young people can safely walk and bike to school
8. Investing in equitable methods to manage traffic enforcement by reallocating resources away from on-the-ground police enforcement
9. Reallocating road space to provide regular and recurring car-free spaces for active transportation
10. Supporting the multi-modal future of Toronto’s transportation system

Walk Toronto wrote to the Infrastructure and Environment Committee to express its support for the extension of the Bloor West complete street from Runnymede Road to Resurrection Road.

The plan will reduce speed limits and add cycle tracks, which will have the benefit of calming traffic and buffering pedestrians from vehicle traffic.

However, Walk Toronto also noted a plan to replace a section of grass boulevard where the sidewalk is missing with a temporary on-road, painted pedestrian path. We expressed concern about this plan, which could be unsafe for pedestrians, urging the committee to implement a full separate sidewalk at the same time as the cycle tracks.

• Read Walk Toronto’s letter (PDF)
• See the IEC agenda item

Walk Toronto’s Michael Black has submitted a series of recommendations to Transportation Services staff via a letter to City Council, proposing a series of adjustments to plans for proposed safety improvments to Millwood Road, from Pape Avenue and across the Leaside Bridge to the intersection of Overlea Boulevard and beyond.

Overall, Walk Toronto is supportive of the planned changes, which will improve a very walking-unfriendly section of roadway, but we feel additional improvements are important, especially as they relate to accessibility.

• Read Michael Black’s letter (PDF)
• See the agenda item

Walk Toronto considers Ontario Place to be a treasured area for the public to walk, and has been active in advocating for the land to remain public.

In support of that goal, Walk Toronto has written to the General Government Committee to oppose a proposal to declare City-owned land in and around Ontario Place surplus in order to facilitate its transfer to the Provincial governmnent. Walk Toronto argues that, given the importance of this issue and the conflicting positions of different candidates in the mayoral by-election, this decision should not be made until after a new mayor has been elected.

• Read Walk Toronto’s communication (PDF)
• See the General Government Committee agenda item

Walk Toronto has written to the Toronto East York Community Council (TEYCC) to support Councillor Dianne Saxe’s motion to implement pedestrian and traffic safety measures on Avenue Road between Bloor Street West and St. Clair Avenue West.

The measures would include reducing the speed limit from 50 km/hr to 40 km/hr and introducing a pilot project to reduce the number of driving lanes from 6 to 4.

Walk Toronto’s letter points out that, outside this stretch, Avenue Road and its continuations are 4 lanes wide with a 40 km/hr speed limit. As well, the current curbside lanes are often blocked by construction, parking, and other closures, forcing unsafe lane changes. As well, the current sidewalks are extremely narrow and often have obstacles. Avenue Road has 5 schools and 4 senior’s residences on it or nearby, and is seeing a significant increase in population with new developments. The proposed changes would make walking safer and more attractive, and provide space to improve accessibility.

• Read Walk Toronto’s letter to TEYCC (PDF)
• See the TEYCC agenda item
• See the call for support from the Avenue Road Safety Coalition
• Watch the discussion and deputations at TEYCC (YouTube, timed to the motion)

Walk Toronto has written to the Infrastructure and Environment Committee in support of a motion to address problems with sidewalk snow clearing, IE2.8 – Request for First Year Review of Winter Maintenance Contracts and Addressing Obstructed Sidewalks with Snow and Ice.

Walk Toronto’s Doug Vallery writes that Toronto should “consider a coordinated, team approach to winter maintenance developed in Montreal, where roadway plows are followed by sidewalk plows in order that problematic windrows created by the former can immediately be cleared by the latter in one clean sweep.”

• See the agenda item
• Read Walk Toronto’s letter (PDF)

Walk Toronto has written to the Executive Committee to support the principle that CafeTO curbside patios should be placed on platforms level with the sidewalk to ensure accessibility, now that the program is becoming permanent.

While it was understandable that, in order to roll out the program quickly, partial solutions in the form of ramps were all that was required in the initial stage, experience showed that these did not provide full accessibility. Meanwhile, for this year, a federal program will subsidize half of the cost of the platforms.

Walk Toronto’s Dylan Reid wrote:

We believe, when restaurants make the calculation, that many will realize the platforms are a worthwhile longterm investment in their business. They are certainly a vital long-term investment in making Toronto a truly accessible city for all.

• Read Walk Toronto’s letter to Executive Committee (PDF)
• See the Executive Committee agenda item

Walk Toronto has written to Mayor John Tory to support making the ActiveTO Midtown Yonge Complete Street pilot project between Bloor Street and Davisville Avenue permanent. The pilot project included bike lanes, planters, CafeTO curbside patios, and artwork. It has led to a 142% increase in pedestrian activity in this strip, among other benefits.

Walk Toronto’s Lee Scott also spoke at the January 20, 2023 meeting of the Infrastructure and Environment Committee in favour of making this project permanent.

In the letter, Walk Toronto’s Lee Scott writes:

With the unprecedented development in the Midtown area of Toronto, we encourage a new vision of how the streets and sidewalks are used as this new growth is accommodated in affordable and space-efficient ways. Yonge is often referenced as Toronto’s Main Street and its narrow right-of-way south of St. Clair Avenue is particularly in need of Complete Street ideas that encourage travel by public transit, cycling, and walking.

• Read the Walk Toronto letter to support MidTown Complete Street Project (PDF)
• See the Infrastructure and Environment Committee agenda item
• Watch the Infrastructure and Environment Committee meeting