In consultation with local community, the City is developing a Neighbourhood Streets Plan (NSP) for the Maple Leaf and Rustic area that will address four main areas of concern:
The City invites residents and community groups to learn more about the changes that are proposed as part of the Neighbourhood Streets Plan and provide feedback.
The project area is located between Jane Street to the west, the rail corridor to the east, Highway 401 to the north, and Lawrence Avenue West to the south.
In 2020, the Etobicoke York Community Council directed City staff to work with the Maple Leaf and Rustic communities to develop a comprehensive plan to address community concerns. City staff will use a Neighbourhood Streets Plan process to develop this plan.
Neighbourhood Streets Plans (NSPs) are a new service for neighbourhoods where traffic and travel patterns challenge the safety and mobility of people using the streets. Through the planning process, a team of City staff work with communities to identify local issues and opportunities, prioritize the greatest needs, and recommend changes to traffic operations and street designs.
NSPs consider the needs of all road users and emphasize the safety of vulnerable road users such as seniors, school children, and people walking and cycling.
NSPs result in short-term actions (1 to 2 years) which can be made using temporary, flexible materials like signs, paint, and bollards, and will identify longer term changes which can be accomplished alongside future programmed road work.
The outcomes of each NSP will be different based on local conditions and the needs of each neighbourhood. Generally, NSPs will recommend actions related to motor vehicle speed and volume management, and traffic safety conflicts on local streets. NSP recommendations are informed by the City’s Traffic Calming Guide, Vision Zero Action Plan, and Complete Streets Guidelines. Some examples of actions that may be considered include:
The participation of local residents and stakeholders is essential to identifying appropriate actions and effective changes for the Maple Leaf and Rustic neighbourhoods. Dates are subject to change.
The City of Toronto is inviting local residents, businesses and organizations to learn more and provide feedback on the Maple Leaf and Rustic Neighbourhood Streets Plan. Public and stakeholders’ opinions, along with technical and policy considerations will be used to inform City staff recommendations and decisions to be made by City Council.
There are two phases of consultation between Fall 2023 and Fall 2024:
Information, reference materials, and reports on public consultation activities are posted here.
Phase 1 public consultation took place from November 2 to December 18, 2023. It included a public drop-in event, comment tracking, and an online survey and mapping activity. The public drop-in event was held on December 4, 2023. It included a presentation and question & answer period, as well as opportunity to speak with project staff and view display panels. View the display panels and consultation report below.
Phase 1 feedback centered around six main themes: road safety concerns for all road users; high motor vehicle speeds throughout the neighbourhood; concern about the impact of congestion along major corridors on neighbourhood streets; lack of desirable travel alternatives to motor vehicle travel; conflicts between parking/loading and motor vehicle flow; and concerns about the impact of development on the transportation network.
Phase 2 public consultation took place from September 24th to October 21st, 2024. Consultation activities included three interest group meetings, a pop-up event, an in-person drop-in event, a survey and comment tracking. The public drop-in event was held on October 8, 2024. It included a presentation and question & answer period, as well as opportunity to speak with project staff and view display panels. View the display panels, meeting summary notes and consultation report below.
Phase 2 consultation participants were divided over their support for proposed changes and, overall, were overwhelmed by the high number of changes proposed. Feedback from residents around speed management measures, road safety improvements, construction of new sidewalks in the area and parking management was split between those respondents who are supportive and others who are unsupportive. Feedback around proposed volume management (particularly directional changes to local streets) and new bikeways was generally unsupportive.
Feedback gathered through this consultation will inform future proposals developed by City staff, along with input from additional engagement with area residents through a Local Advisory Committee.
Residents have raised concerns about motor vehicle speeds in the neighbourhood. The City has already made some improvements:
Proposed changes to reduce motor vehicle speeds include speed humps, speed cushions, in-road flexible speed signs, and designation of Community Safety Zones.
The Plan proposes adding speed humps as a calming measure to the following streets (listed alphabetically):
Where speed humps are not possible due to road widths or TTC bus routes, the Plan proposes speed cushions, in-road speeds signs and designating a Community Safety Zone (which would allow temporary Automated Speed Enforcement).
Residents have raised concerns about road user safety, particularly vulnerable road users such as pedestrians and people cycling. The City’s Vision Zero Road Safety Plan is a comprehensive action plan focused on reducing traffic-related fatalities and serious injuries on Toronto’s streets.
The City has already made some improvements, including:
Major corridor studies for Jane Street and Lawrence Avenue West will also provide an opportunity for future road safety improvements.
The Plan proposes to improve safety through:
The Plan proposes changes at specific locations, listed below:
Road safety improvements are currently underway at the following locations:
The Plan also proposes minor intersection improvements along collector roads and near schools and other local destinations. These improvements generally include:
Along Jane Street and Lawrence Avenue West, the Plan does not propose specific changes. Subject to the findings of studies along these major corridors, future road safety improvements will be proposed. Previous feedback as part of Phase 1 consultation about the safety concerns at these locations has been recorded and may be used to inform those studies.
Residents have raised concerns about motor vehicle volumes in the neighbourhood:
The City has already made some improvemnts including:
Proposed changes to reduce motor vehicle volumes include one-way street conversions and directional closures:
The Plan proposes changes in four areas of the neighbourhood:
Area 1 – Falstaff Avenue
Area 2 – Rustic Road, Stella Street, Liscombe Road, Maidstone Street
Area 3 – Queens Drive, Gracefield Avenue and Bluebell Gate
Area 4 – North Park Drive, Duval Drive, Quinan Drive and Sparta Road
Parking management measures are proposed to address concerns about safety while balancing growing demand for parking. Proposed parking management changes include:
In some cases, introducing on-street parking would require removing existing parking restrictions.
These changes were developed based on background analysis and Phase 1 public feedback.
The Plan proposes to restrict on-street parking in some locations where visibility and motor vehicle flow is a concern:
At the same time, the Plan proposes to allow on-street parking on the following nearby streets with lower motor vehicle volumes to accommodate growing demand for parking. This may involve removing existing on-street parking restrictions.
Residents have raised concerns about limited transportation options in the neighbourhood.
Diverse transportation and travel options can help reduce reliance on private motor vehicles.
The City’s Missing Sidewalks Program aims to provide accessible sidewalks on all streets over the long-term, in line with the City’s Vision Zero 2.0 Road Safety Plan.
The Maple Leaf & Rustic Streets Plan proposes adding new sidewalks at specific locations in the near-term, listed below in alphabetical order:
Further resident engagement and notification will be conducted prior to sidewalk installation.
Over the long term, the Plan proposes to add new sidewalks on at least one side of the road for all roads and both sides of the road on all collector roads.
The City Council-Approved Cycling Network Plan (CNP) serves as a comprehensive roadmap and work plan for the cycling network. The 2025-2027 CNP highlighted potential routes in the Maple Leaf and Rustic neighbourhoods in support of the CNP’s mandate to grow the cycling network into new parts of the city.
The Maple Leaf & Rustic Streets Plan proposes new bikeways along these routes, subject to further design consultation:
This Neighbourhood Streets Plan will confirm the recommended bikeway routes. Further public consultation will be conducted at a later date on proposed design options for any recommended routes. Following future public consultation, a report with the bikeway routes and designs will be submitted to City Council for approval prior to installation.
Please contact Rachel Yanchyshyn at MapleLeafRusticStreets@toronto.ca to be added to the project list to receive updates by email, including information about upcoming public events and an online survey.