City staff to study ‘creative options' to get buses moving on Bathurst and Dufferin north of Bloor

Hamilton Spectator

6 days ago

City staff are going back to the drawing board to find a way to
speed up transit on Bathurst and Dufferin streets north of Bloor
without sacrificing parking spaces — at least not permanently.
Council approved a motion Wednesday to study ways to bolster transit speed along that stretch of road temporarily to accommodate more commuters during next year's
FIFA World Cup
, which is expected to bring in an estimated 300,000 visitors.
Originally,
the RapidTO plan for the area
would have permanently removed 138 paid parking spots on Bathurst and 128 on Dufferin to make dedicated bus lanes. Opponent
s said this would hurt businesses
, while c
ommuters said they needed the lanes to escape traffic
.
Now, the city's transportation division is tasked with finding 'creative options' to give buses a boost on Bathurst and Dufferin, such as banning parking during rush hour and creating high-occupancy vehicle lanes
while the international soccer tournament is in town next summer
.
Congestion has made many Bathurst bus riders late for work, Mayor Olivia Chow said during council. This is because they are frequently stalled along the route by drivers who 'run in to get something while blocking an entire lane of traffic.'
'One or two people end up blocking 60, 80, 100 transit riders,' she said. 'It doesn't work. It's causing a lot of frustration. It's making our service unreliable.'
Councillors Brad Bradford (Ward 19, Beaches–East York), Stephen Holyday (Ward 2, Etobicoke Centre) and James Pasternak (Ward 6, York Centre) voted against the motion to study the altered RapidTO plan. None of the dissenting councillors' wards overlap with the proposed bus lanes.
'I'll tell you what I think this is really about,' said Holyday. 'I think it's about the city of Toronto looking nouveau, looking progressive with these bright red lanes, so that all the FIFA visitors can say, 'Look at that! What a progressive city!''
Meanwhile, council approved setting up dedicated bus and bike lanes on Dufferin between Bloor and King West and on Bathurst from Bloor to Lake Shore Boulevard West, with a gap between Nassau and Dundas streets for Toronto Western Hospital. This was voted on separately and passed 18-5.
'RapidTO is about prioritizing people over cars,' said Coun. Jaamal Myers (Ward 23, Scarborough North), who is also TTC board chair. 'It's about ensuring our public transit system is reliable, fast, convenient and fair, especially as we get ready to host major events, such as FIFA 2026.'
Speaking to reporters, Myers said it is 'intellectually dishonest' for his peers on council who claim to want to ease congestion to oppose a 'solution' to it.
At council, he said while he commends residents and business owners who approached the city in 'good faith,' it should be noted that many who interceded in this project did so with ill intent, 'simply to delay these projects.'
Last week,
anti-Chow protesters at city hall
said RapidTO would create a 'permanent, radical change to our infrastructure.' They also criticized the mayor's bike lane and shelter policies.
Coun. Lily Cheng (Ward 18, Willowdale) recused herself from Wednesday's vote, citing a conflict of interest. Last week, Jason Hildebrand, husband of her chief of staff, spoke out against bus-only lanes on Dufferin at the mayor's executive committee. Removing parking spots, he said, would make life difficult for people with mobility challenges, like him and his mother.