Backgrounder
June 30, 2021

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.

  • Cyclists: 5,500
  • Pedestrians: 1,100
  • Weather: High 30.4°C, Low 14.9°C, Clear

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.

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