The City of Toronto is inviting residents to learn more and provide feedback on the next steps for the Quiet Streets Program on Woodfield Road and Monarch Park Avenue, from Sammon Avenue to Lake Shore Boulevard.
This project proposes to:
install a contra-flow bike on one-way segments to allow people cycling to travel two-way along the Woodfield-Monarch Park corridor so they can easily connect between popular cycling routes on Danforth Avenue, Dundas Street East and Lake Shore Boulevard
improve wayfinding and signage along the route
install new signals at Gerrard Street, Queen Street East and Eastern Avenue to improve walking and cycling safety and connections
limit parking and motor vehicle impacts
Need assistance? While we aim to provide fully accessible content, there is no text alternative available for some of the content on this site. If you require alternate formats or need assistance understanding our maps, drawings or any other content, please contact Carol Tsang at 416-392-8361 or Carol.Tsang@toronto.ca.
Public Consultation
Public consultation will be conducted online, by phone and by mail only. This is based on the expert advice of our Medical Officer of Health to practice physical distancing, to help reduce the spread of COVID-19 and to protect the health and safety of Toronto residents and our staff. The comment deadline is April 29, 2021.
If you require accommodation or assistive services, please contact Carol Tsang at 416-392-8361 or Carol.Tsang@toronto.ca to identify what can be provided.
Virtual Public Meeting #1 (Focused Meeting: Woodfield Road, between Queen Street East to Eastern Avenue)
Fatalities and serious injuries on our roads are preventable, and we must strive to reduce traffic-related deaths and injuries to zero by prioritizing the safety of our most vulnerable road users
Streets are for people, placemaking and prosperity. Complete Streets consider all modes, prioritize safety and balance the needs to move people and goods while recognizing streets as places.
Reduce reliance on motor vehicles
Providing alternatives to driving allows for roadways to be used more efficiently and for users who have no choice (e.g. emergency, deliveries)
Encouraging people of all ages and abilities to ride
The majority of people rate themselves as “interested by concerned” about cycling and will do so if bikeways feel safe.
Quiet Streets
From May to October 2020, Woodfield Road-Monarch Park Avenue were designated as Quiet Streets. The ActiveTO Quiet Streets program created shared spaces to allow residents to maintain physical distancing while getting around on neighbourhood streets. Temporary signage and other measures were used to encourage slow, local vehicle access only so the street could be a shared space that welcomed people who walk, run or bike.
At this time, City staff are proposing that instead of reintroducing the seasonal Quiets Streets program in 2021 or beyond, energy be refocused on programs that provide year-round improvements to local streets, such as this project.
A Quiet Street cement block used as a traffic barricade on The Esplanade Quiet Street featured a mural by artist Emily May Rose.
A group of people cycling down a Quiet Street in Toronto.
ActiveTO Quiet Streets Survey
The ActiveTO Quiet Streets Survey was conducted in the summer of 2020. There were over 700 unique responses on Woodfield Road-Monarch Park (Woodfield Avenue: 219 respondents; Monarch Park Avenue: 536 respondents).
According to those surveyed, Woodfield-Monarch Park was one of the highest-ranked routes for reducing vehicular speeds, improving physical distancing, and making people feel safer sharing the street. The feedback was very positive.
The most common feedback was concerns about non-local traffic.
Survey Question
Woodfield Road
(percentage of survey respondents)
Monarch Park Avenue
(percentage of survey respondents)
Understood the intent of the program
95%
95%
Walking/jogging is main mode of travel
85%
88%
No exclusive access to outdoor space
13%
9%
Do not live/work on the Quiet Street
59%
76%
Perception of program influencing physical distancing
75% (agreed or strongly agreed)
81% (agreed or strongly agreed)
Perception of program providing safer shared street space
79% (agreed or strongly agreed)
78% (agreed or strongly agreed)
Cycling Network Plan
Map of the Woodfield Road-Monarch Park Avenue project area as part of the Near-Term Cycling Implementation Program for 2019–21.
Woodfield Road-Monarch Park Avenue was identified in the Council-adopted Cycling Network Plan as a north-south route, planned for installation in the near term (2019–21).
This would include proposed contra-flow bike lanes on one-way sections of Woodfield Road and installation of traffic calming elements like painted bulb-outs, wayfinding and traffic signal upgrades at key locations.
Woodfield Road-Monarch Park Ave has been identified as a “Grow” project in the Cycling Network Plan Update. This project would grow the cycling network into new parts of the city.
Project Goals
Build on the feedback and experience of the 2020 Quiet Streets Program to improve conditions for people walking and cycling and lower vehicular speed.
Allow people cycling to travel two-way along the Woodfield-Monarch Park corridor so they can easily connect between popular cycling routes on Danforth Avenue, Dundas Street East and Lake Shore Boulevard. This will improve comfort for people cycling and promote the use of bicycles for short neighbourhood trips.
Maintain local access for people driving and minimize impact to on-street parking.
Gerrard Street (streetcars: 306 Carlton Blue Night, 506 Carlton)
Queen Street East (streetcar 301 Queen Blue Night, 501 Queen, 503 Kingston Road)
Safety
In the last decade, one pedestrian seriously injured at Woodfield Road and Fairford Avenue.
Selecting a Bikeway for Woodfield-Monarch Park
The City of Toronto’s draft design guidelines set 75 cars in the peak hour as the maximum for a shared lane.
Based on the speed and volume of traffic, a shared lane for people cycling and driving is appropriate. The preferred bikeway type for Woodfield Road-Monarch Park Avenue is Neighbourhood Greenway.
The peak volumes and 8-hour volumes do not exceed the thresholds of vehicle volumes, so additional traffic diversion is not recommended.
Average Counts
Woodfield-Monarch Park Existing Volumes
Neighbourhood Greenway Volume Thresholds
Peak Hour Motor Vehicles
30–75 vehicles
75 vehicles
Cycling
(over 8-hours)
70–120 cycling trips (20–30% of total traffic)
Would like to increase volume to 40–50% of total traffic
Vehicles
(over 8-hours)
200–400 vehicles
Less than 750 vehicles
Proposed Design Features
Traffic Calming
Traffic calming is a term associated with physical features like discourage through traffic, lower speed and improve comfort levels for all road users. Traffic calming can include one-way street flips, curb extensions, speed humps and other elements.
Example of traffic calming: a painted bulb-out. Photo: Eric Fischer/Twitter.
Contra-Flow Bike Lanes
Contra-flow bicycle lanes are bicycle lanes designed to allow people cycling to ride in the opposite direction of motor vehicle traffic. They convert a one-way traffic street into a two-way street for people cycling: one direction for motor vehicles and bikes and the other for bikes only.
Example of a contra-flow lane: one cyclist heading south in the shared travel lane and one heading north in the contra-flow bike lane.
Bike Lanes
Designated bicycle lanes are a dedicated part of the roadway for the exclusive use of people cycling. Other road users may not lawfully drive, stand, stop or park in a designated bicycle lane.
Example of a bike lane.
Shared Lanes
On low volume, residential streets shared lanes for people cycling and driving can be effective and can include signs, wayfinding pavement markings and other traffic calming to create comfortable cycling routes.
Example of a shared lane.
Monarch Park Avenue: Sammon Avenue to Felstead Avenue
Map of proposed changes on Monarch Park Avenue, from Sammon Avenue to Felstead Avenue.
Existing
Roadway width: 8.5 m
On-street parking: Alternating sides
Permit parking: 12 midnight to 7 a.m.
Peak hour vehicle volume: < 75
Posted speed: 30 km/h
Proposed
Traffic signal provides good connection to cycle track on Danforth Avenue.
Not wide enough for bike lanes.
Recommend Quiet On-Street Route with wayfinding shared lane markings and signage.
No changes to parking.
Monarch Park: Existing Connection
Map of Monarch Park.
Existing
Existing trail connects Monarch Park Avenue to Woodfield Road under rail corridor.
Trail access at Monarch Park Avenue at an all-way stop.
Proposed
Improvements to wayfinding will be considered.
Woodfield Road: Monarch Park to Fairford Avenue
Map of what’s proposed on Monarch Park Avenue, from Monarch Park to Fairfield Avenue.
Existing
Cross-section of existing conditions looking north on Monarch Park Avenue, from Fairford Avenue to Monarch Park.
Roadway width: 7.4m
Traffic direction: Two-way
Peak hour vehicle volume: < 75
On-street parking:
East side: North of Walpole Avenue
West side: Walpole Avenue to Fairford Avenue
Permit parking: 12 midnight to 7 a.m.
Posted speed: 30 km/h
Proposed
Cross-section of proposed design looking north on Woodfield Road, from Fairford Avenue to Monarch Park.
No changes to parking or travel lanes.
Wayfinding shared lane markings and signs are proposed.
Woodfield Road: Fairford Avenue to Queen Street East
Map of what’s proposed on Woodfield Road, from Fairford Avenue to Queen Street East.
Existing
Cross-section of existing conditions looking north on Woodfield Road, from Queen Street East to Fairford Avenue.
Traffic direction: One-way southbound
On-street parking:
West side: Fairford Avenue to Gerrard Street East and Dundas Street East to Queen Street East
Alternating sides: Gerrard Street East to Dundas Street East
Permit parking:
10 p.m. to 10 a.m.: Fairford Avenue to Gerrard Street
12 midnight to 7 a.m.: Gerrard Street to Queen Street East
Peak hour vehicle volume: < 70
Posted speed: 30 km/h
85% speed: 34 km/h
Proposed
Cross-section of proposed design looking north on Woodfield Road, from Queen Street East to Fairford Avenue.
Add northbound contra-flow bike lane on the east side.
Wayfinding markings are proposed in the southbound direction.
Parking on the west side at all times (no impact to parking spaces).
Permit parking hours remain unchanged.
No stopping permitted in contra-flow bike lane.
Woodfield Road: Queen Street East to Eastern Avenue
Existing
Map of existing conditions on Woodfield Road, from Queen Street East to Eastern Avenue.
Cross-section of existing conditions looking north on Woodfield Road, from Eastern Avenue to Queen Street East.
Traffic direction: One-way southbound
On-street parking: East side
Off-street parking:
Driveways off of Woodfield Road on west side
Driveways off of rear laneway on east side
Permit parking:
12 midnight to 7 a.m.
21 spaces available / Nine (9) permits issued
Peak hr vehicle volume: < 60
Posted speed: 30 km/h
Proposed
Alternative 1: Contra-Flow Bike Lane
Map of Alternative 1 (contra-flow bike lane) on Woodfield Road, from Queen Street East to Eastern Avenue.
Cross-section of Alternative 1 (contra-flow bike lane) looking north on Woodfield Road, from Eastern Avenue to Queen Street East.
Add northbound contra-flow bike lane on the east side between parking and vehicle lane.
Mixed-use lane (sharrows) in the southbound direction.
Parking remains on the east side.
Alternative 2: Switch Parking to West Side
Map of Alternative 2 (switch parking to west side) on Woodfield Road, from Queen Street East to Eastern Avenue.
Cross-section of Alternative 2 (switch parking to west side) looking north on Woodfield Road, from Eastern Avenue to Queen Street East.
Add northbound contra-flow bike lane on the east side.
Mixed-use lane (sharrows) in the southbound direction.
Parking switched to west side – loss of two to four spaces
Permit parking hours remain unchanged.
No stopping permitted in contra-flow bike lane.
Alternative 3: Switch to One-Way Northbound
Map of Alternative 3 (switch to one-way northbound) on Woodfield Road, from Queen Street East to Eastern Avenue.
Cross-section of Alternative 3 (switch to one-way northbound) looking north on Woodfield Road, from Eastern Avenue to Queen Street East.
Switch one-way direction to northbound.
Add southbound contra-flow bike lane on the west side.
Mixed-use lane (sharrows) in the northbound direction.
Parking remains on the east side.
No stopping permitted in contra-flow bike lane.
Woodfield Road: Eastern Avenue to Lake Shore Trail
Map of what’s proposed on Woodfield Road, from Eastern Avenue to Lake Shore Trail.
Existing
Cross-section of existing conditions looking north on Woodfield Road, from Lake Shore Trail to Eastern Avenue.
Traffic direction: Two-way
On-street parking: None
Off-street parking:
Boulevard parking on east side
Canada Post loading bays and access on west side
Proposed
Cross-section of proposed design looking north on Woodfield Road, from Lake Shore Trail to Eastern Avenue.
Add minimum-width bike lanes in each direction.
Maintain 3.3 m lanes in each direction.
New path to connect to Lake Shore Trail at south end of Woodfield Road.
Existing: No protected crossing, pedestrian crossover at Connaught Avenue (95 m spacing)
Proposed: Relocate crossing/new signal
What This Means for You
If You Drive or Park on the Street
No changes to parking or travel lanes on Monarch Park Avenue or two-way sections of Woodfield Road.
For one-way sections of Woodfield Road, parking currently alternates between sides of the street in some sections. If approved, parking would be permanently on one side, without reducing total parking spaces.
No stopping is permitted in bike lanes.
No other traffic impacts to the way the streets operate when you drive.
All turning movements, laneway and driveway access would remain.
If You Cycle
You would be able to travel both north and south on Woodfield Road, making it easier and more comfortable to connect to existing east-west bikeways.
Pedestrian crossovers at Gerrard Street East and Queen Street East converted to traffic signals, with a new traffic signal at Eastern Avenue. These would provide protected crossings at these intersections for people cycling and walking.
Bicycle lanes proposed in both directions south of Eastern Avenue, with a new short trail section connecting to the existing multi-use path on the north side of Lake Shore Boulevard.
If you Live or Work in the Neighbourhood
City services such as fire, emergency medical services, solid waste pick-up and snow clearing will continue as usual. There will be no impact to existing sidewalks, traffic flow or speed limits.