Item - 2025.ex25.4

The General Manager, Transportation Services recommends that:

1. City Council designate the easterly northbound and westerly southbound lanes on Dufferin Street between Bloor Street West and King Street West as a reserved lane for public transit vehicles and bicycles at all times.

2. City Council designate the easterly southbound lane on Dufferin Street between Thorburn Avenue and Springhurst Avenue as a reserved lane for public transit vehicles at all times.

3. City Council designate the westerly northbound and easterly southbound lanes on Bathurst Street between Bathurst Station north exit and Nassau Street as a reserved lane for public transit vehicles at all times.

4. City Council designate the westerly northbound and easterly southbound lanes on Bathurst Street between Dundas Street West and Lake Shore Boulevard West as a reserved lane for public transit vehicles at all times.

5. City Council authorize the alteration of the intersection of Bathurst Street and Front Street, and City Council:

a. designate one southbound through lane for vehicles;

b. designate one southbound left turn lane for vehicles; and

c. designate one southbound through lane reserved for public transit vehicles only.

6. City Council enact the amendments to traffic and parking regulations associated with Recommendations 1 to 5, and generally as described in Attachment 1 – Amendments to Traffic and Parking Regulations to the report (July 8, 2025) from the General Manager, Transportation Services.

7. City Council delegate, despite any City of Toronto By-law to the contrary, to the General Manager, Transportation Services, until April 30, 2028, to implement and then address operational and safety issues that may arise in relation to Recommendations 1 to 6, the authority to implement changes and process and submit directly to City Council, any necessary Bills for by-law amendments to the schedules to City of Toronto Municipal Code Chapters on the streets and within the parameters found in Attachment 2 - Streamlined Reporting Process for By-Law Amendments to the report (July 8, 2025) from the General Manager, Transportation Services, and that such by-laws submitted be made permanent on April 30, 2028.

8. City Council direct the General Manager, Transportation Services, in consultation with the Chief Executive Officer, Toronto Transit Commission, to collect traffic and transit data, monitor the performance of RapidTO Dufferin and Bathurst, and publish the results quarterly for up to two years following the date of installation, subject to data availability.

9. City Council amend Section 950-503D(1) of City of Toronto Municipal Code Chapter 950, Traffic and Parking, to delete the period after subsection (b) and insert “; or” and to  include new Subsections (c), (d), and (e) generally as follows:

“(c) For the purpose of overtaking a vehicle making a left turn, a person may enter the lane and shall exit from the lane not more than 45 metres from the point at which he or she enters; or

(d) For the purpose of loading or unloading merchandise or passengers in a commercial loading zone marked by an authorized sign under § 950-402 between the limits and times and/or days as set out in Schedule VI, a person may enter the lane and shall exit from the lane not more than 45 metres from the point at which he or she enters; or

(e) For the purpose of loading or unloading passengers in a passenger loading zone marked by an authorized sign under § 950-402 between the limits and times and/or days as set out in Schedule VII, a person may enter the lane and shall exit from the lane not more than 45 metres from the point at which he or she enters.”

10. City Council amend Section 950-503D of City of Toronto Municipal Code Chapter 950, Traffic and Parking, to include a new Subsection (5) and a new Subsection (6) generally as follows:

“(5) Despite Subsection D(1) and (2), a vehicle may be stopped in the lane during the times or days set out in Schedule XXII in § 950-1321 for the purpose of and while actively engaged in the loading or unloading of passengers or merchandise in a commercial loading zone marked by an authorized sign under § 950-402 between the limits and times and/or days as set out in Schedule VI.

(6) Despite Subsection D(1) and (2), a vehicle may be stopped in the lane during the times or days set out in Schedule XXII in § 950-1321 for the purpose of and while actively engaged in the loading or unloading of passengers in a passenger loading zone marked by an authorized sign under § 950-402 between the limits and times and/or days as set out in Schedule VII.”

11. City Council authorize the City Solicitor 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 the General Manager, Transportation Services, in order to give effect to City Council's decision on Recommendations 9 and 10 above.

12. City Council direct the General Manager, Transportation Services, to report back to Executive Committee at the appropriate time after FWC26, with an evaluation of the RapidTO Dufferin Street and Bathurst Street projects and recommendations for the future of the projects, up to and including the potential removal of implemented measures if warranted, and with recommendations for next steps for future implementation of RapidTO segments on Dufferin Street and Bathurst Street between Bloor Street West and Eglinton Avenue West.

RapidTO is a joint initiative by the City of Toronto and the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) that aims to improve bus and streetcar travel time reliability for surface transit priority roadways along arterial roads using reserved lanes, intersection signal improvements, and regulatory changes.

In February 2024, City Council endorsed, in principle, the RapidTO: Surface Transit Network Plan (RapidTO) as the basis of Transportation Services' planning and programming of surface transit priority projects in Toronto. The report directed staff to initiate four new roadway-specific studies in the near term (2024-2025), one of which was the RapidTO: Dufferin Street project.

In June and July 2026, Toronto will host six FIFA World Cup™ (FWC26) matches at Exhibition Place. Fort York National Historic Site and The Bentway are official venues for the FIFA Fan Festival™. The games are expected to draw over 300,000 visitors, and the mobility concept includes the provision of dedicated transit lanes to ensure frequent service along key roadways. As directed by Council in July 2024, the RapidTO: Dufferin Street and RapidTO: Bathurst Street projects have been accelerated as critical routes to get people to and from the games. To meet the timelines for FWC26, it was proposed to Council that the studies and design for both routes prioritize the sections south of Bloor Street West for connection with the Line 2 subway, while also reviewing the potential for extension to Eglinton Avenue West to connect with the future Eglinton Crosstown LRT.

In order to implement priority sections in time for FWC26, this report seeks Council authority to approve the following changes to Dufferin Street south Bloor Street West to Dufferin Gate Loop and Bathurst Street from Bathurst Station to Lake Shore Boulevard West to improve travel times and reliability for residents and visitors riding transit.

Dufferin Street

- Install priority bus lanes between Bloor Street West and King Street West;

- Install time-of-day, designated loading zones for delivery, passenger pick-up, and drop-off activities along the roadway;

- Install turn restrictions at key intersections; and

- Install a priority streetcar lane on the southbound lane between Thorburn Avenue and Springhurst Avenue.

Dufferin Street has been identified as a priority roadway in the RapidTO: Surface Transit Network Plan due to its high ridership and current service, which is slower and less reliable than desired.  The 29 Dufferin and 929 Dufferin Express buses serve over 40,000 riders daily, with only between 48% and 74% of buses arriving on time throughout the day on weekdays. On weekends, the percentage of buses arriving on time ranges from 36% to 63%. Additionally, during the weekday AM and PM peak periods, the average bus speed is only 14 km/h, and the commute time is 65% longer than it would be by driving the same distance.

As the fifth busiest surface transit route in the city, Dufferin Street has been identified as a key candidate for transit priority in the TTC's 5-Year Service Plan and Customer Experience Action Plan (2024-2028).

Bathurst Street

- Install priority streetcar lanes from Bathurst Station to Lake Shore Boulevard West, except on the segment between Nassau Street and Dundas Street West due to Toronto Western Hospital construction;

- Install stopping prohibitions at all times; and

- Install turn restrictions at key intersections along the 511 Bathurst streetcar route.

The 511 Bathurst streetcar serves over 15,000 riders daily, with between 72% and 83% of streetcars arriving on time throughout the day on weekdays, and between 52% and 87% arriving on time on weekends. Additionally, during the weekday morning and afternoon peak periods, the average speed is only 9 km/h, and the commute time is up to 82% longer than it would be by driving the same distance.

If approved by Council for installation, delivery of the two projects would begin in fall 2025. Any remaining work would be completed in spring 2026 before FWC26.

The projects would be evaluated through a data monitoring plan to ensure transparency, accountability, and evidence-based decision-making. By tracking metrics such as transit travel time and reliability, ridership, auto travel time and volume, bus and streetcar lane compliance, and collision data, Transportation Services and the TTC would be able to assess whether the implemented design is achieving the anticipated benefit while making considerations to monitor, evaluate, and adjust designs based on actual impacts. This could include mitigation strategies against speeding and traffic infiltration around local streets, as well as location-specific accommodations for loading and accessibility needs.

A data dashboard will be posted on the project web page quarterly for up to two years from the date of installation, i.e. until April 30, 2028.

Similar to the approach that has been taken with other projects where Transportation Services and the TTC have tested or piloted changes, and made adjustments based on outcomes, the RapidTO corridors would be tracked, monitored, and improved as necessary to support neighborhood mobility.

At the appropriate time after FWC26, Transportation Services would report back to Executive Committee with an evaluation of the RapidTO Dufferin and Bathurst projects including recommendations for the future of the projects, up to and including the potential removal of implemented measures if warranted, as well as recommendations for next steps for future implementation of RapidTO segments on Dufferin Street and Bathurst Street between Bloor Street West and Eglinton Avenue West.

The estimated capital funding required to implement transit priority on Dufferin Street and Bathurst Street, outlined in this report, is expected to be $8,000,000 and is funded as part of the TTC's 2025-2034 Capital Budget and Plan.

The impacts of the removal of parking spaces managed by Toronto Parking Authority are presented in Table 1 below.

Table 1: Impacts of Parking Space Removal 

Transportation Services will work with the Toronto Parking Authority to identify and implement new paid parking near locations where Green P parking is removed on Dufferin Street and Bathurst Street to potentially mitigate the impacts.

The Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer has reviewed this report and agrees with the financial impact information.

The Toronto Transit Commission Board requests:

1. City Council to direct staff to explore opportunities to accelerate beautification of the public realm along the Bathurst and Dufferin priority transit corridors in accordance with the recently approved “Towards a Beautiful City – A Path Forward” Plan.

The TTC Board on May 14, 2025, adopted Item TTC4.4 - Transit Priority Measures on Dufferin Street and Bathurst Street, as amended, and in doing so, has:

1. Forwarded the report and Confidential Attachment 2, to City Council, through Executive Committee, for consideration after the completion of ongoing public consultation (to be completed on May 26, 2025) alongside the complimentary report from the General Manager, Transportation Services in Summer 2025 which incorporates public feedback into the design.