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With the FIFA World Cup set to arrive in Toronto in less than a year, work to install dedicated transit lanes along Bathurst Street to ensure reliable service during one of the world’s largest sporting events began on November 5th. After half a decade of debate and delays over RapidTO<\/a>, the city-wide plan to install dedicated bus and streetcar lanes on some of the TTC’s busiest routes, City Council approved the installation of lanes on Bathurst Street and Dufferin Street south of Bloor Street this July.<\/p>\n During the Covid-19 pandemic, RapidTO was launched to improve travel times for transit riders across the City of Toronto by giving the busiest bus and streetcar routes dedicated travel lanes. Bathurst Street, served north of Bloor Street by the 7 bus and to the south by the 511 streetcar, featured prominently in this initial plan. The entire street within the City of Toronto was set to receive dedicated transit lanes, with the portion served by the 7 bus north of Bloor Street identified as the first priority for installation.<\/p>\n Five years later, with traffic reaching record highs, progress on RapidTO had all but ceased after a small number of bus lane installations in the first year of the initiative. Facing pressure from transit advocacy groups and concerned about how the deluge of soccer fans would reach the FIFA World Cup grounds at Exhibition Place in 2026, City Council revived its transit priority project. Council prioritized Bathurst and Dufferin Streets because of their role as the two primary north-south transit and vehicular connections to Exhibition Place. Its updated plans would have installed dedicated transit lanes on both streets from Eglinton Avenue West in the north to Lake Shore Boulevard and Dufferin Gate Loop in the south.<\/p>\n Following the announcement of these plans earlier this year, an anti-transit-priority campaign sprung up, bolstered by some members of City Council not in favour of RapidTO. The nucleus of this opposition was along Bathurst Street in the Annex, where retailers and residents bemoaned the potential loss of on-street parking. Caving to the opposition campaign, transit priority plans were more than halved, with all segments north of Bloor Street being removed from immediate plans and delegated for further study.<\/p>\n Despite this setback, the first phase of installation for dedicated streetcar lanes between Lake Shore Boulevard and Dundas Street West began on November 5th, with work taking place overnight from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. to minimize disruptions. To facilitate the painting of the median streetcar track lanes, service on the 511 Bathurst streetcar will be operated by shuttle buses from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. during the installation period. As of November 16th, dedicated streetcar lanes had been completed between Lake Shore Boulevard and Fort York Boulevard within the neighbourhood of CityPlace. Private vehicles appeared to be largely complying with the new lane restrictions, although this was observed on a very light-traffic Sunday afternoon.<\/p>\n To the north of Fort York Boulevard, no dedicated lanes had yet been installed, though the segment as far north as Dundas Street West is projected to be completed before December, prior to lane painting becoming impractical due to winter weather. After winter concludes, the City is targeting the full installation of dedicated transit lanes between Bloor Street and Lake Shore Boulevard by early next year, ahead of the start of the FIFA World Cup.<\/p>\n In the meantime, a series of traffic circulation changes are being implemented along the corridor. The two primary changes motorists will notice are the prohibition of left turns at nearly all major intersections along Bathurst Street and the removal of all street parking. With the exception of exempt loading zones created where off-street loading is not viable, Bathurst Street\u2019s right of way south of Bloor Street will soon be dedicated entirely to the movement of traffic and transit rather than the storage of parked private vehicles.<\/p>\n UrbanToronto will continue to follow progress on the installation of dedicated transit lanes on Bathurst Street and RapidTO initiatives citywide. In the meantime, you can leave a comment in the space provided on this page.<\/p>\n * * *<\/em><\/p>\n UrbanToronto has a research service,\u00a0UTPro<\/a>, that provides comprehensive data on construction projects in the Greater Golden Horseshoe \u2014 from proposal through to completion. We also offer\u00a0Instant Reports<\/a>, downloadable snapshots based on location, and a daily subscription newsletter,\u00a0New Development Insider<\/a>, that tracks projects from initial application.\u200b\u200b\u200b<\/p>\n <\/imgx><\/imgx><\/imgx><\/imgx><\/imgx><\/imgx><\/imgx><\/div>\n