Item - 2025.TE21.51

The Toronto and East York Community Council:

1.  Directed the General Manager, Transportation Services to:

a. evaluate the impacts on neighbouring streets of having the direction of one-way traffic on Palmerston Boulevard, between College Street and Bloor Street, alternate each block between northbound to southbound; and

b. recommend, by the fourth quarter of 2025, how to fairly distribute northbound and southbound traffic between College Street and Bloor Street among Palmerston Boulevard, Markham Street, Euclid Avenue, Manning Avenue and Clinton Street.

In 2021, Council approved a contra-flow bike lane on Palmerston Blvd from College to Bloor. To safely accommodate the bike lane, Palmerston Blvd was to become one-way. At the direction of the then local Councillor, the one-way direction was to change each block, alternating between northbound to southbound.

These changes were installed in 2023. The bike lane is a great success, but the alternating one-way system for motor vehicles has redirected most motor vehicle traffic from Palmerston Blvd onto neighbouring streets and laneways, especially Markham St., Euclid Ave., Manning Ave., Clinton St., and Ulster St. This redirection has compounded the aggressive traffic increases on residential streets across Ward 11, created by population growth and by way-finding apps such as WAZE.

Residents of the affected areas have delivered a petition with 153 signatures, as of March 17th 2025, requesting the 2023 Palmerston one-way designation be undone. Two-way traffic on Palmerston is not compatible with both on-street parking and the bike lane. On street parking is essential for the large number of Palmerston residents without driveways, and the bike lane is an essential element of TransformTO and Toronto’s cycling network. The bike lane cannot readily be moved onto Bathurst Street because of provincial law.

However, area residents understandably feel that it is unfair to keep through-traffic off Palmerston with alternating directions while providing no protection against cut-through traffic to neighbouring streets.

Because of the sensitivity and interconnection of the traffic network, City Staff have recommended against any further changes to traffic direction without a Traffic Area Study. The current Transportation Services scoring system has made it impossible for Ward 11 residents to qualify for a Traffic Area Study. Since 2022, all requests from any part of Ward 11 for such a study have been refused.