Council to consider dedicated bus lane on part of Spadina Avenue

Toronto city council will be asked this month to create a dedicated bus lane on a section of Spadina Avenue to reduce travel times for TTC buses that have temporarily replaced the 510 streetcar.

The Toronto and East York Community Council, which met on Wednesday, approved a motion by Coun. Ausma Malik, who represents Ward 10, Spadina-Fort York, to create the lane. Council will consider the motion at its July 24 meeting.

If approved, the bus lane would be contained in the southbound curb lane on Spadina Avenue between Richmond Street W. and Lake Shore Boulevard W. The lane would be in place until January 2025, when the 510 Spadina streetcar right-of-way is expected to reopen.

Two southbound lanes for general traffic would remain on Spadina Avenue between Richmond Street W. and Lake Shore Boulevard W.

Malik said what is happening right now is not working and the city needs to take measures to improve congestion in the area. She said the route is one of the busiest in the city and riders and drivers are frustrated.

"Seeing bus after bus backed up on Spadina in peak hours and traffic at a standstill is not acceptable," Malik said.

She is proposing "dedicated, priority bus lanes for the duration of the construction," she said.

"They are temporary. That's to ensure that traffic can keep moving and the buses are getting us where we need to go and that there's a bit of reliability on the road about where all road users should be."

To create the dedicated bus lane, the city's transportation services and the TTC are proposing that the city remove on-street parking and a taxi stand on the west side of Spadina Avenue between Richmond Street W. and Front Street W.

It's not uncommon to see buses stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic on Spadina Avenue, sometimes two or three of them lined up together and not moving.

Last month, the TTC temporarily suspended streetcar service on Spadina Avenue to allow the TTC to complete track repairs and work onthe "modernization" of overhead power lines. Replacement buses, which were put in place on June 23, have contributed to congestion in the area.

Bus lane would be 'hugely beneficial' for TTC, agency says

TTC spokesperson Stuart Green says the switch to replacement buses has had a huge impact on transit schedules.Travel times for the Spadina route have tripled since the switch began.

"What we found earlier on is that the total trip times were running at around, at theirworst, sort of between 60 and 70 minutes. Normally, those are 20 to 25 minute trips."

Green said the proposal by Malikwould be "hugely beneficial" for the TTC. He said it would be good news to have the transit priority lane in place.

The TTChas saidworkers areupgrading the overhead electrical system along the streetcar right-of-way between King Street and Queens Quay, and from College Street to Spadina Station.

Buses have replacedthe 510 streetcar going both ways on Spadina between Spadina Station and Queens Quay W.