Item - 2025.TE25.41

The Toronto and East York Community Council recommends that:

1. City Council prohibit stopping on the east side of Bathurst Street between Eglinton Avenue West and Bathurst Station North Exit from 2:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., Monday to Friday and from 12:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., Saturday to Sunday, except public holidays.

2. City Council prohibit northbound left-turns, from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Monday to Saturday, except public holidays (Toronto Transit Commission vehicles excepted), at the intersection of Bathurst Street and Davenport Road.

3. City Council prohibit southbound left-turns, from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Monday to Saturday, except public holidays (Toronto Transit Commission vehicles excepted), at the intersection of Bathurst Street and Dupont Street.

4. City Council rescind the existing northbound left-turn restriction, from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m., Monday to Friday, at the intersection of Bathurst Street and Dupont Street.

5. City Council enact the amendments to traffic and parking regulations associated with Recommendations 1 to 4 above and as generally described in Attachment 1 to the report (September 2, 2025) from the Director, Planning, Design and Management, Transportation Services.

6. City Council direct the General Manager, Transportation Services, in consultation with the Chief Executive Officer, Toronto Transit Commission, to monitor the impacts of No Stopping restrictions on the east side of Bathurst and No Left-Turn restrictions, and to report back to the Toronto and East York Community Council in November 2026 on the transit speed and reliability improvements delivered from these measures, with an interim report in July 2026.

The Chief Strategy and Customer Officer, Toronto Transit Commission and the Acting Department Head, Strategy and Foresight, Toronto Transit Commission gave a presentation on Improving 7 Bathurst. 

As the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) operates a transit service on Bathurst Street, City Council approval of this report is required.

The focus of this report is Bathurst Street, from Eglinton Avenue West to Bathurst Station North Exit. The recommended changes, which consist of extensions to No Stopping restrictions on the east side of Bathurst Street in the afternoon and weekend, as well as changes to some No Left-Turn restrictions, are intended to clear parking in the curb lane and prohibit turning vehicles from blocking buses and general traffic at intersections, for periods where the 7 Bathurst service is significantly impacted by congestion. An analysis of the TTC's 7 Bathurst operations supports the recommendations in this report.

The proposed extended traffic regulations are intended to improve the reliability of the afternoon bus route and reduce traffic congestion in the afternoon outside of peak hours. Conditions will be monitored following implementation, to determine whether the changes have the intended effect, and whether any further adjustments are required.

In addition, the TTC is currently undertaking a Bunching and Gapping study to improve the service reliability of select TTC routes, including the 7 Bathurst. The study focuses on shifting route management from an emphasis on departures at end terminals to a more customer-oriented approach, recognizing that customers depend on vehicles arriving at regularly spaced intervals, and not a schedule. Additional recommendations for the 7 Bathurst are expected to come from the TTC's Bunching and Gapping study, once the study concludes.