‘Long overdue’: Toronto City Council approves dedicated transit lanes on Dufferin and Bathurst

Just before summer break, Toronto City Council has approved an $8M plan to add transit lanes on Bathurst and Dufferin streets. Arda Zakarian reports.

Dedicated transit lanes are coming to Dufferin and Bathurst streets.

Toronto City Council approved on Wednesday the installation of dedicated bus lanes on Dufferin Street and dedicated streetcar lanes on Bathurst Street—both of which will be located south of Bloor Street.

Before the vote, Mayor Olivia Chow told councillors that big cities have bus lanes and it’s time for Toronto to do the same, noting that the RapidTO surface transit network plan to enhance bus and streetcar service has been in place since 2019.

“We will move forward on these long overdue RapidTO bus lanes, dedicated bus lanes,” Chow said.

On Dufferin Street, the curbside lanes will be converted to priority bus lanes, while on Bathurst Street, the centre lanes will be changed to priority streetcar lanes.

The city said construction for the transit lanes would begin in the fall and is expected to be finished before the start of the World Cup.

According to staff, the implementation of the transit priority lanes on Dufferin and Bathurst is expected to cost $8 million.

Staff initially recommended putting dedicated transit lanes on both streets as far north as Eglinton Avenue West, but that plan was scaled back after several businesses and neighbourhood groups pushed back.

During her remarks, Chow acknowledged the concerns of some communities, saying they’re legitimate.

“They do have some concerns. They talk about on-street parking. Where are we going to park, especially if I’m disabled? Who’s going to pick me up? Where are they going to pick me up? And what about loading? If I have a small business, where will I load? All of these need to be worked out,” Chow said.

The motion approved during Wednesday’s meeting includes an item directing staff to report back after the World Cup with recommendations for the next steps for future implementation of dedicated transit lanes on Dufferin and Bathurst between Bloor Street and Eglinton Avenue.

A Toronto transit advocacy group praised the approval of dedicated transit lanes, saying it is a huge step forward.

“Implementing these lanes will make transit more reliable and encourage more people to take a bus or streetcar instead of driving,” said Andrew Pulsifer, the executive director of TTCriders.

“Transit users will continue to speak up and fight for common-sense solutions like dedicated transit lanes.”