The City of Toronto today announced the ActiveTO major weekend road closures that will be in place from Saturday, June 19 at 6 a.m. until Sunday, June 20 at 9 p.m., including the return of the full vehicle closure on part of Bayview Avenue, for people to be safe and physically active.
ActiveTO road closures to vehicles will include:
As part of ActiveTO weekends, roads within High Park will be closed to vehicles starting at approximately 11 p.m. on Friday, June 18 until approximately 7 a.m. on Monday, June 21.
Toronto has more than 1,500 parks, 11,000 hectares of ravines, as well as other paths and hydro corridors with trails that all remain open for exercise every day of the week.
ActiveTO routes are designed to be flexible and adaptable based on community input, nearby construction impacts, and other factors. City staff have received significant community feedback requesting the ActiveTO full weekend vehicle closure of Bayview Avenue return. Staff reviewed nearby planned construction impacts and determined the closure would be possible this weekend. The new full-time, multi-use trail infrastructure and alignment along Bayview Avenue will remain in place every day for people to use.
Over the weekend, phase 1 of the ActiveTO Midtown Complete Street pilot will be installed along Yonge Street, between Imperial Street and Woodlawn Avenue. Drivers should avoid the route if possible and expect delays while crews work as quickly and safely as possible. Those planning travel on Yonge Street should be aware that a full closure of Subway Line 1 is planned this weekend, between Finch and St. Clair stations. Learn more here
Residents planning to use ActiveTO routes or visit High Park are asked to access them by bike or on foot due to limited nearby parking and no available on-site parking.
City staff will actively monitor traffic congestion along Lake Shore Boulevard East and adjust signal timing at the intersection of Leslie Street and Lake Shore Boulevard East to keep vehicles moving and people safe. Drivers are reminded to plan their trips in advance to avoid all vehicle closures, if possible, and should consider using a wayfinding app to understand detours and travel times.
City staff are planning other future weekend closures along Black Creek Drive, and roads within the Exhibition Place. Details will be announced as soon as they are available.
Bike Share Toronto stations are available along ActiveTO routes. Download the PBSC app to get started.
June is Bike Month. It’s an annual celebration of cycling in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton area featuring a variety of virtual events from Monday, May 31 to Wednesday, June 30. Residents can log their cycling trips and play Bike Month Bingo for a chance to win prizes. More information is available here
ActiveTO was designed in response to COVID-19 to provide more space for people to practise physical distancing while outside, support the overall wellbeing of residents and to quickly connect and expand Toronto’s cycling network by installing safe, separated temporary bike routes that mirror major transit lines.
Learn more about ActiveTO, including information about the new ActiveTO Bayview Cycling Corridor, here
Details about access to High Park are available here
Maps and details for available paths and trails are available here
Learn more about cycling in Toronto here
Quotes:
“ActiveTO has been designed so that it can be adapted, as well as flexible, in order to provide more space where people can use it to get outside and be active. City staff have listened to the community and carefully planned to fully open south Bayview Avenue to cyclists and pedestrians to expand beyond the Bayview multi-use trail along with ActiveTO installations on Lake Shore East and in High Park.”
– Mayor John Tory
“There are lots of places that are ready to welcome people for exercise and fresh air this weekend. I encourage residents and families to visit a park, trail, hydro corridor or ravine to enjoy the outdoors and greenspaces that are available.”
– Councillor Jennifer McKelvie (Scarborough-Rough Park), Chair of the Infrastructure and Environment Committee
Toronto is home to more than 2.9 million people whose diversity and experiences make this great city Canada’s leading economic engine and one of the world’s most diverse and livable cities. As the fourth largest city in North America, Toronto is a global leader in technology, finance, film, music, culture and innovation, and consistently places at the top of international rankings due to investments championed by its government, residents and businesses. For more information visit the City’s website or follow us on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook.
Media contact: Media Relations, media@toronto.ca