The City of Toronto’s cycling, pedestrian, and traffic data from ActiveTO closures this spring demonstrates that the routes are popular, and reinforces the City’s commitment to studying local traffic impacts following construction schedules and understanding feedback from local communities before implementing closures.
All pedestrian and cyclist counts were conducted over a 15-hour period between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. and include people on the street, cycling trails, boardwalks and sidewalks. The popularity of ActiveTO closures are heavily influenced by the weather.
Bayview Avenue
Counts on Bayview Avenue, between Front Street East and Rosedale Valley Road, range from 3,000 to 5,600 cyclists and 1,100 to 1,400 pedestrians on weekends when a full vehicle closure is in place.
| May 1 | May 2 | May 15 | May 16 | |
| Bayview Avenue – North of River Street | ||||
| Cyclists | 4,300 | 3,100 | 5,000 | 5,600 |
| Pedestrians | 1,400 | 1,100 | 1,100 | 1,400 |
| Lower Don Trail – South of Riverdale Bridge | ||||
| Cyclists | 2,000 | 1,100 | 3,200 | 3,400 |
| Pedestrians | 1,100 | 800 | 1,100 | 1,100 |
| Weather |
High 10.8°C Low 2.3°C Clear with late afternoon rain |
High 16.3°C Low 6.2°C Clear / Cloudy |
High 21°C Low 8.1°C Afternoon rain |
High 18.7°C Low 9.2°C Clear
|
Lake Shore Boulevard East
Lake Shore Boulevard East counts (eastbound lanes between Leslie Street and Woodbine Avenue) range from 5,800 to 12,700 people cycling and 7,800 to 15,700 pedestrians.
| May 1 | May 2 | May 15 | May 16 | |
| Cyclists | 7,700 | 5,800 | 11,500 | 12,700 |
| Pedestrians | 9,400 | 7,800 | 13,500 | 15,700 |
| Weather |
High 10.8°C Low 2.3°C Clear with late afternoon rain |
High 16.3°C Low 6.2°C Clear / Cloudy |
High 21°C Low 8.1°C Afternoon rain |
High 18.7°C Low 9.2°C Clear
|
Lake Shore Boulevard West
More people use Lake Shore Boulevard West to bike, go for a walk or run when the ActiveTO closures are in place when compared to motor vehicle volumes when closures are not in place.
The pedestrian and traffic volume count was conducted at Ontario Drive. The Lake Shore Boulevard West closure has been in place on two weekends including May 15 and 16 and May 22 and 23.
| May 1 | May 2 | May 15 – ActiveTO | May 16 – ActiveTO | May 22 – ActiveTO | May 23 – ActiveTO | |
| Cyclists | 6,900 | 5,700 | 21,600 | 34,000 | 16,700 | 26,900 |
| Pedestrians | 3,900 | 3,500 | 4,100 | 5,000 | 2,800 | 4,500 |
| Westbound vehicles | 11,400 | 7,300 | 8,500 | 8,500 | 8,600 | 8,400 |
| Weather |
High 10.8°C Low 2.3°C Clear with late afternoon rain |
High 16.3°C Low 6.2°C Clear / Cloudy |
High 21°C Low 8.1°C Afternoon rain |
High 18.7°C Low 9.2°C Clear
|
High 28°C Low 15.3°C Cloudy Light afternoon rain
|
High 26.2°C Low 14.4°C Clear / Cloudy
|
Travel Time Impacts of Lake Shore West
When measured against weekends with no closures, the data shows that the ActiveTO closure is popular for those who use them, and that there are significant traffic impacts on the surrounding community. When the ActiveTO vehicle closure is in place, traffic data on the Gardiner Expressway and The Queensway shows travel times up to two and three times versus conditions with no ActiveTO closure and provincial lockdown measures in place.
The data in the table below represents the average travel time in minutes from noon to 7 p.m. across both days.
| Section | Direction | Fall 2019 | Winter 2021 (Feb 1 to Apr 4) |
KQQR Closure (Apr 5 to May 9) |
2020 ActiveTO (Jun to Oct) |
May 15 &16 ActiveTO |
May 22 & 23 ActiveTO |
|
| Gardiner Expressway | ||||||||
|
Islington Ave. – Bathurst St.
|
Eastbound | 13.6 | 6.8 | 6.8 | 16.7 | 29.3 | 20.1 | |
| Westbound | 12.2 | 6.4 | 7.0 | 6.9 | 6.4 | 7.7 | ||
| Lakeshore Boulevard West | ||||||||
|
Park Lawn Rd. – Bathurst St.
|
Eastbound | 10.9 | 9.8 | 10.4 | closed | |||
| Westbound | 12.8 | 10.3 | 10.9 | 10.3 | 12.7 | 12.0 | ||
| The Queensway | ||||||||
| Islington Ave. – Roncesvalles Ave. | Eastbound | 10.4 | 8.9 | 9.0 | 9.6 | 18.5 | 13.5 | |
| Westbound | 10.4 | 8.5 | 8.7 | 8.8 | 9.9 | 8.9 | ||
| Bloor Street West | ||||||||
| Islington Ave. – Bathurst St. | Eastbound | 20.6 | 19.7 | 20.0 | 20.7 | 24.6 | 20.1 | |
| Westbound | 23.5 | 19.9 | 20.4 | 20.6 | 21.0 | 21.6 | ||
Allen Road
On June 5, when the closure on Allen Road was in place, the City counted 5,500 people cycling and 1,100 people walking on northbound lanes between Eglinton Avenue West and Lawrence Avenue.
Traffic Time Impacts of Allen Road ActiveTO Closure
The City observed minimal impacts on travel times on the routes around Allen Road during the ActiveTO closure. In fact, the average travel time on streets surrounding Allen Road was higher before COVID-19 (Fall 2019) than during the ActiveTO closure.
The data in the table below represents the average travel time in minutes from noon to 7 p.m. across both days.
| Section | Direction | Fall 2019 | Winter 2021 (Feb 1 to Apr 4) | Spring 2021 (Apr 5 to May 30) | Allen Road ActiveTO Closure (Jun 5 to 6) |
| Bathurst Street | |||||
| Eglinton Ave. W. to Lawrence Ave. W. & Lawrence Ave. W. to Highway 401 | Northbound | 7.3 | 6.0 | 6.1 | 6.4 |
| Southbound | 7.3 | 6.3 | 6.2 | 6.3 | |
| Dufferin Street | |||||
| Eglinton Ave. W. to Lawrence Ave. W. & Lawrence Ave. W. to Highway 401 | Northbound | 7.8 | 5.6 | 5.1 | 5.8 |
| Southbound | 7.4 | 5.7 | 5.6 | 5.5 | |
About ActiveTO
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 weekend road closures, including the cycling network expansion, at www.toronto.ca/ActiveTO.