Item - 2022.IE31.13

The Infrastructure and Environment Committee recommends that:

1. City Council authorize a northerly westbound cycle track on Commissioners Street, from Cherry Street (west intersection) and a point 30 metres east of Cherry Street (east intersection).

2. City Council authorize a southerly eastbound cycle track on Commissioners Street, from Cherry Street (west intersection) and a point 30 metres east of Cherry Street (east intersection).

3. City Council authorize a temporary westerly northbound and southbound cycling lane on Cherry Street, between a point 23 metres south of Polson Street and a point 104 metres further south, from August 8 to December 31, 2022.

4. City Council authorize the appropriate City officials to submit directly to Council at the appropriate time any necessary bills to amend the appropriate City of Toronto Municipal Code Chapters, and any Schedules to the Chapters, to reinstate the traffic and parking regulations to what they were immediately prior to the by-law amendments made in connection with the report (June 23, 2022) from the General Manager, Transportation Services. 

5. City Council authorize the City Solicitor to amend City of Toronto Municipal Code Chapter 886, Footpaths, Pedestrian Ways, Bicycle Paths, Bicycle Lanes and Cycle Tracks, to introduce the necessary bills to give effect to City Council's decision and City Council authorize the City Solicitor to make any necessary clarifications, refinements, minor modifications, technical amendments, or by-law amendments as may be identified by the City Solicitor or General Manager, Transportation Services, in order to give effect to Recommendations 1 to 4, inclusive, above.

As part of the Port Lands Flood Protection Project and Enabling Infrastructure Project, and the Lake Shore Boulevard East, Bridge and Public Realm Projects, Waterfront Toronto is planning the following construction projects:

- Remove a portion of the existing alignment of Cherry Street between Commissioners Street and a point 216 metres south and construct a new segment of Cherry Street to the west of the current Cherry Street, in order to facilitate construction of the new river mouth

- Extend Commissioners Street approximately 100 metres west to connect with the new Cherry Street alignment.

Vehicular traffic, pedestrians and cyclists on the current Cherry Street alignment will be shifted to the new alignment. The vehicular traffic lanes, trails and cycle tracks will be constructed to base asphalt condition. During the initial opening of new Cherry Street and the Commissioners Street extension, the lands to the east of the travelled lanes, trails and sidewalks on new Cherry Street and the lands to the south of the travelled lanes, trails and sidewalks on Commissioners Street will still be under construction, as shown in Attachment 1. The sections of land under construction will accommodate a future Light Rail Transit alignment. Therefore, this phase is considered the interim opening. During this interim period, most of the lands being opened as public highway will be leased from The Toronto Economic Development Corporation, with use of a small triangular portion of the new Cherry Street bridge to be secured from PortsToronto by way of easement.

Authorization is being requested to designate the lands which contain the travelled lanes, trails and sidewalks as public highways and to implement traffic and parking by-laws for the interim road opening, to take effect in respect of each parcel of land after the new Cherry Street and Commissioners Street extension has been constructed by Waterfront Toronto to its interim condition to the satisfaction of the City and accepted and commissioned by the City and after a property right allowing its use as a public highway is granted to the City by the landowner. The City is accepting the road on an interim basis. Waterfront Toronto is required to complete the above mentioned construction activities prior to final acceptance.

This report only deals with the proposed cycling infrastructure on the new Cherry Street alignment, Commissioners Street extension and current Cherry Street. Matters related to the interim roadway opening, permanent road closure, and other traffic regulation amendments is dealt through a companion report "Port Lands Flood Protection - New Cherry Street and Commissioners Street Interim Road Opening" through Toronto and East York Community Council.