Improving Davisville Avenue: Designing a Safer & More Beautiful Street Together

Project Area

The project area is Davisville Avenue from Yonge Street to Mount Pleasant Road.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Recommendations to Council June 2026

June 2026 Update

As part of the approval process, staff will report to the Infrastructure and Environment Committee of City Council on June 10. A copy of the staff report is available here.

At this time Transportation Services is proposing a phased approach to road safety changes, and its report to Infrastructure and Environment Committee recommends the following:

• Davisville, from Yonge Street to Mount Pleasant Road:
  • Enhance visibility at pedestrian crossings by prohibiting parking 30 m in advance and 15 m after in each direction at pedestrian crossovers
  • Traffic calming features, including raised medians
• Add a new commercial loading zone in front of 21 Davisville Avenue, Hasty Market
• Yonge Street & Davisville Avenue intersection
  • Add a dedicated eastbound right-turn signal
  • Right turns from Chaplin Crescent onto Yonge Street (going southbound) would proceed on a dedicated green arrow
  • Reduces conflicts with pedestrians crossing Yonge Street
  • No additional turn prohibitions are being proposed at this time
• Pailton Crescent
  • Add curb extensions by removing up to 3 parking spots at Pailton Crescent to shorten crossing distances, slow turning vehicles and make pedestrians more visible
• Acacia Road
  • Add curb extensions by removing up to 3 parking spots at Acacia Road to shorten crossing distances, slow turning vehicles and make pedestrians more visible, and shifting the parking from the west side of the road to the east side
• Mount Pleasant Road & Davisville Avenue intersection
  • Add traffic calming features, including measures to slow left turns, tighter corners to reduce turning speeds
  • Prohibit left turns from the laneway beside Mount Pleasant Parkette 

Proposed Changes

Transportation Services recommends moving forward with a phased approach to road safety, beginning with the measures identified in the ‘Recommended Changes’ section. As part of the approval process, staff will report to the Infrastructure and Environment Committee of City Council on June 10. A copy of the staff report is available here.

The following previously proposed changes presented for feedback during Phase 2 consultation are listed below.

Intersection of Yonge Street and Davisville Avenue

The intersection of Yonge Street and Davisville Avenue has very high pedestrian volumes, sometimes exceeding the number of people driving, which can create conflicts with vehicles turning right and left on Yonge Street.

Changes are needed to improve safety and accessibility by reducing conflicts through improved signal timing and turn management so people walking, driving and taking transit can move through the intersection more safely and efficiently.

Proposed changes include:

• Add a separate signal for vehicles turning right to go south on Yonge Street to improve safety and reduce conflicts. Drivers turning right onto Yonge Street to go south would turn on a green arrow only, without conflicting with 6000+ daily crossing pedestrians on the south crossing 
• Prohibiting left-turns onto Yonge Street that are infrequently made to improve traffic and transit operations and reduce conflicts. These left turns are only 3-9% of eastbound and westbound traffic but cause significant delay due to queuing vehicles. TTC vehicles will still be permitted to turn.
• Minimize delays for all road users by optimizing the timing of traffic lights

Pedestrian Crossovers

Today, community members have reported that crossing Davisville Avenue at pedestrian crossovers can feel unsafe and uncomfortable. Overly wide lanes can encourage speeding, and crossings with multiple lanes or parked vehicles can make it harder for drivers to see pedestrians and for people to feel safe crossing.

This project re-envisions Davisville Avenue as a safer street that would support more reliable and comfortable crossing at the pedestrian crossovers.

The City is proposing improvements at the existing pedestrian crossovers to make them safer through designs that encourage slower vehicle speeds and make it easier for people driving and people crossing to see each other. 

Proposed changes include:

• Discourage speeding by narrowing travel lanes to meet City standards
• Improve visibility of crossing pedestrians by removing parked vehicles on the south side and keeping one lane in each direction
• Add a median to discourage speeding
• Additional signage and pavement markings to alert drivers to the crossing
• Remove existing curb extensions which are in poor condition

The pedestrian crossover at 50 Davisville Avenue (in front of Davisville Junior PS) could be improved as part of a future development, which would shift south side driveways and allow a full median without blocking left turns.

The project does not propose adding full traffic signals at pedestrian crossovers on Davisville Avenue. A technical warrant was conducted for the pedestrian crossover at Davisville Junior Public School. Based on analysis of traffic volumes, pedestrian delay and collision history, a signal was not warranted at this location. Full signals can result in longer wait times for pedestrians and increased congestion with negative impacts to TTC operations. Improving existing crossovers aims to improve safety while allowing people to cross when they arrive and keep all road users moving.

Yonge Street to Davisville Junior Public School

In this section of Davisville Avenue, the proposed design would:

• Discourage speeding by narrowing travel lanes to meet City standards ​
• Improve pedestrian crossovers by increasing sightlines and adding speed reduction measures including a raised median​
• Add one-way cycle tracks on the north and south side of the street separated by concrete low-wall barriers with gaps at driveways​
• Remove time-of-day parking spots on the south side of Davisville Avenue​
• Add new on-street commercial loading zone by Hasty Market

 

Davisville Junior Public School to Pailton Crescent

In this section of Davisville Avenue, the proposed design would:

• Discourage speeding by narrowing travel lanes to meet City standards ​
• Improve pedestrian crossovers by increasing sightlines and adding speed reduction measures including a raised median​
• Add one-way cycle tracks on the north and south side of the street separated by concrete low-wall barriers with gaps at driveways​
• Remove time-of-day parking spots on the south side of Davisville Avenue​
• Add a curb extension at Pailton Crescent to reduce pedestrian crossing distance and encourage slower turns for motor vehicles

 

Side Streets: Acacia Road & Pailton Crescent

The City is proposing side street improvements at Acacia Road and Pailton Crescent. Curb extensions are proposed at Acacia Road and at Pailton Crescent to reduce crossing distance, encourage slower turning speeds and improve pedestrian visibility. Curb extensions provide an opportunity for streetscaping and greening improvements such as artistic road paint, trees and seating or a Bike Share Station.​ Access to Acacia Road and Pailton Crescent will remain.

Proposed changes include:

• Seating
• Artistic paint on the roadway
• Greenery (eg. trees, plantings, bioswale)
• Bike Share station
• Acacia Road, parking* is proposed to be shifted from the west to east side for safer access to June Rowlands Park. A parklet with seating and greenery is proposed. To implement this, 3 of 12 existing parking spots would be removed.

 

Pailton Crescent to Mount Pleasant Road

In this section of Davisville Avenue, proposed changes include:

• Discourage speeding by narrowing travel lanes to meet City standards ​
• Improve pedestrian crossover by increasing sightlines and adding speed reduction measures including a mountable median to retain the ability for people to turn left out of their driveways​
• Add one-way cycle tracks on the north and south side of the street separated by concrete low-wall barriers with gaps at driveways​
• Remove time-of-day parking spots on the south side of Davisville Avenue​
• Add a curb extension at Pailton Crescent to reduce pedestrian crossing distance and encourage slower turns for motor vehicles​

 

Intersection of Mount Pleasant Road and Davisville Avenue

The intersection of Davisville Avenue and Mount Pleasant Road is at the corner of two schools, a park and a senior’s home. This intersection has had three pedestrian collisions in the past 5 years, one resulting in a pedestrian fatality (2023). Changes are proposed to improve road safety and accessibility for people of all ages and abilities.

The proposed changes include:

• Add speed reduction measures such as left-turn calming and corner radii reductions to reduce risk and severity of left-turn and right-turn collisions
• Optimize traffic signal timing to minimize delays for all road users

The City is in discussions with Greenwood College School to explore prohibiting left turns from the laneway next to Mount Pleasant Parkette. Left turns at this location have poor visibility and create safety concerns for turning vehicles and crossing school children and other people walking. Prohibiting left turns would allow space for a curb extension with features such as planters, seating and artistic road paint. 

Public Consultation

The comment period for this consultation has closed. The Phase 2 Public Consultation Report summarizes feedback received.

Consultation Materials

• Information Panels
• Project Notice

Phase 1 Public consultation on this project took place in 2024. The report below provides a detailed summary of all consultation activities and feedback received.

• Phase 1 Public Consultation Report

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Background

The City of Toronto is proposing changes as part of the Vision Zero Road Safety Plan. The Plan’s goal is to eliminate traffic-related fatalities and serious injuries by making our roads safer for everyone, especially for seniors, school children, pedestrians and people cycling. This project is coordinated with ongoing studies for crossing and safety improvements along Davisville Avenue.

The City Council-approved 2025-2027 Cycling Network Plan Near-Term Implementation Program identifies Davisville Avenue from Yonge Street to Mount Pleasant Road for cycling improvements to connect people to destinations and existing cycling routes. The Cycling Network Plan is a comprehensive roadmap that outlines the City’s planned investment in the cycling network. It aims to connect gaps in the current cycling network and create safer and more comfortable cycling options.

Midtown in Focus (Yonge Eglinton Secondary Plan Study) was an inter-divisional study led by City Planning. The Ready, Set, Midtown: Public Realm Implementation Strategy identifies a long-term vision for Davisville Avenue as a generous pedestrian promenade with cycling lanes and large planting areas with wide-canopied trees and ample space for street furniture and other landscape elements.