Item - 2020.TE14.80

The Toronto and East York Community Council:

1. Requested the General Manager, Transportation Services, to undertake a cycling safety review of existing connections across the Metrolinx rail corridor east of Liberty Village and report back in the third quarter of 2020 with recommendations for short- and long-term safety improvements, including the King Street underpass between Atlantic Avenue and Sudbury Street, and the street network in the area of East Liberty Street and Strachan Avenue.

Recently, a serious cycling collision occurred in the King Street West rail underpass between Atlantic Avenue and Sudbury Street. Thankfully, the person involved in the collision is alive, but they sustained serious injuries. 

There have been longstanding concerns about this area for cycling safety, with fast moving traffic, streetcar tracks, low visibility, and poor lighting. My office has heard ongoing safety complaints about this section of King Street, and local advocacy groups have highlighted it as a problem area. Safety improvements are long overdue.

Despite this, the area sees substantial cycling traffic. This is for a number of reasons, including the directness of King Street, connections to the Strachan bike lanes and the Garrison crossing bridges, and the growing, high-density communities of King West and Liberty Village. The King Street underpass is also one of the few options for crossing the rail corridor near Liberty Village. There is additional infrastructure in this area that will encourage cycling, including the Wellington and Douro bike lanes, the King-Liberty cycling bridge, the planned GO station, the West Toronto Railpath extension, and the King High Line. The area is also continuing to become more dense, with many active residential and commercial developments nearby.

As our community grows, it is critically important that we ensure the safe and efficient movement of people, not simply the movement of vehicles. I am requesting that City staff urgently undertake a safety review of the limited cycling connections between Liberty Village and the central core, including the King Street underpass, and report back with recommendations for improvements without delay.