Toronto Updates Road Calming and Closure Plans

Today, Mayor John Tory announced the first phase of the ActiveTO program being developed by Toronto Public Health and Transportation Services to facilitate active transportation and safe physical distancing on Toronto streets as the economy is restarted. 57 kilometres of Quiet Streets, including traffic calming measures like barricades and signage, will be installed to allow for local-only vehicle access. These measures are above and beyond the curb lane closures being implemented as part of the CurbTO program.

The repurposing of Toronto’s roadways is variably being seen as a solution to crowding concerns with COVID-19 and as an opportunity to jump-start pedestrianization and active transportation solutions while car use remains suppressed. The success or failure of this initiative may have significant consequences for the future of Toronto’s streets and their configuration.

The following  is a list of the first Quiet Streets being installed today:

Other confirmed Quiet Street locations for future installations include the following:

In addition to these Quiet Street installations, Transportation and Public Health staff are recommending the closure of some major roads adjacent to trails for additional weekend and holiday crowding mitigation. These closures will be implemented on a trial basis and the following roads will be closed this Victoria Day long weekend, from Saturday, May 16 at 6:00 a.m. to Monday, May 18 at 11:00 p.m.:

This weekend’s road closures will be evaluated to determine the benefits and impacts. Future weekend closures that are not on long weekends will begin at 6:00 a.m. on Saturdays until 11:00 p.m. on Sundays and locations will be announced as they are finalized.

Today, the City also shared that 49 CurbTO locations have now been installed and 25 more are planned for installation tomorrow. 200 further locations have been submitted to staff for review and the program is being considered largely successful without one recorded resident complaint. An additional announcement is expected next week regarding the expansion of Toronto’s cycling network.