Toronto mayoral candidate Brad Bradford says if elected mayor, he would open the city’s subway system two hours earlier on the day of the Waterfront Marathon, saying Olivia Chow has a “pattern” of failing to properly plan transit service around major events. Bradford made the announcement Sunday, as more than 31,000 runners from over 75 countries attended the weekend’s marathon, which began at 8 a.m., the same time regular subway service starts on Sundays. “Toronto needs to do a better job coordinating major events with major road closures,” he said. “I hear from the runners how challenging it is to get into the city’s core. We actively encourage them to take transit, but the mayor hasn’t taken the step to make sure that the transit is actually operational during the time you’re coming down.” Bradford, who has been on council for nearly eight years, argues that the late start leaves runners with limited transit options, adding that opening the subway at 6 a.m. is “common sense.” “When I’m mayor, we’ll start subway service at 6 a.m. on the day of the marathon to give people better options,” he said. ‘This is a pattern’ The city has implemented several road closures for the event, including along Lake Shore Boulevard beginning at 5 a.m., with additional closures affecting Bathurst, Bloor and Yonge streets. More than two dozen TTC bus and streetcar routes were also diverted. Bradford pointed to previous occasions when the TTC adjusted its operating hours, including during the 2015 Pan Am Games and on New Year’s Eve, arguing similar measures should be implemented for major events. In 2025, during the World Series, the city faced widespread criticism for not arranging extended transit service to accommodate those attending Game 7, which had finished in extra innings. At the time, the city shared a post to social media, telling fans “transit won’t wait.” “One bad weekend is a mistake. This is a pattern,” Bradford said. “NDP Mayor Chow has made her peace with a city that shows up for the event and forgets the people trying to get to it. I haven’t.” Chow campaign responds In a statement to CTV News responding to Bradford’s announcement, Chow’s campaign criticized his record on public transit and pointed to her own previously announced congestion plan. “Brad Bradford cut TTC service and raised fares, people cannot trust his record with public transit. Olivia Chow will always work with communities, event organizers and commuters to find ways to improve transit service and best serve the people of Toronto,” the statement reads. The campaign said Chow has already proposed several measures to address congestion, including expanding smart traffic signals, improving coordination around construction and major events, and hiring additional traffic agents to keep intersections clear. Her plan also includes upgrading the city’s Traffic Command Centre to support real-time traffic management and expanding transit signal priority to additional streetcar and major bus routes. On transit affordability, Chow has pledged to freeze TTC fares for three years and introduce a fare-capping system that would make rides free after 10 trips each week. The campaign also pointed to the accelerated Gardiner Expressway rehabilitation project and Scarborough Busway as examples of measures undertaken during Chow’s time in office to improve traffic and transit reliability. It should be noted that in a previous news release, the TTC did warn runners that subway service does not start until 8 a.m. “Runners will have a number of options to get to the starting line near Yonge and Gerrard Street,” their statement read, in addition to a full list of transit options and road closures. Bradford’s 7-point congestion plan The marathon announcement is part of Bradford’s broader seven-point proposal aimed at reducing congestion and improving transit reliability across Toronto. Among his commitments is a requirement for the TTC and Metrolinx to publish coordinated service plans 30 days before major sporting events, concerts and marathons. “Torontonians tell me all the time that Toronto feels stuck, and we need leadership that is committed to un-stucking it,” he told reporters. Bradford is also proposing overnight construction work to reduce daytime lane closures, adaptive traffic signals at all 2,500 city intersections and technology that would automatically detect potholes using cameras installed on municipal vehicles. His plan also calls for faster streetcar service through transit signal priority, automated switches and wider stop spacing, with a goal of reducing travel times by 40 per cent. On cycling infrastructure, Bradford says he would maintain the downtown bike lane network while prioritizing new routes along quieter parallel streets, ravines and multi-use trails rather than removing traffic lanes from major roads. He is also promising to install platform edge doors at every TTC subway station to improve safety and reduce service disruptions Torontonians head to the polls on Oct. 26. You can watch the final debate LIVE on CP24 on Oct. 22 at 7 p.m. Send your video questions to Now@cp24.com ahead of the debate.
