City of Toronto releases ActiveTO Midtown Complete Street Pilot data

Today, the City of Toronto released the most recent data from the ActiveTO Midtown Complete Street Pilot, which saw the installation of cafés, bikeways and other streetscape improvements on Yonge Street, between Bloor Street and Davisville Avenue.

The pilot provides support for local businesses and surrounding communities by expanding outdoor patio areas, improving safety and comfort for all road users, and providing a safe and protected bike lane along the Line 1 subway.

The ActiveTO Midtown Complete Street Pilot data released today shows that:

• some changes in vehicle travel times on Yonge Street, between Bloor Street and Davisville Avenue, have been observed. The highest increase in vehicle travel times was observed during the midday period with a 1.5 minute increase compared to pre-pandemic travel times in the fall of 2019. Changes to vehicle travel times during the a.m. and p.m. peak periods were generally less than one minute (plus/minus). No spillover travel time impacts have been observed on the parallel corridors of Avenue and Mount Pleasant Roads. The City will continue to monitor vehicle travel times throughout the pilot and will identify and implement opportunities for improvements, where possible.
• cycling volumes on Yonge Street in the pilot increased between 35 per cent and 193 per cent, between May 2021 and June 2022. At the busiest part of the pilot corridor at McPherson/Rowanwood Avenues, the number of people cycling between 7 a.m. and 11 p.m. increased from 600 to 1,760.
• pedestrian volumes on Yonge Street in the pilot area increased between 68 per cent  to 126 per cent, between May 2021 and June 2022. This increase is largely impacted by seasonal changes in pedestrian activity, in addition to pedestrian behaviour shifts throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
• vehicle volumes on Yonge Street in the pilot area have changed by plus/minus 10 per cent, between May 2021 and June 2022. Vehicle volumes along the Yonge Street corridor ranged from 7,200 vehicles at Bloor Street to 18,900 vehicles at Davisville Avenue.
• 17 curb lane cafés were installed on Yonge Street in the pilot area in 2020;18 in 2021 and 21 in 2022.
  This set of data is available on the ActiveTO Midtown Complete Street dashboard.

Toronto City Council approved the installation of the temporary ActiveTO Midtown Complete Street Pilot in April 2021, as part of the City’s Pandemic Mobility Recovery Strategy. In April of this year, City Council approved extending the pilot on a provisional basis to enable further monitoring, consultation, and evaluation. The City’s Transportation Services division is expected to report to the Infrastructure and Environment Committee and City Council by January 2023 on additional data, evaluation and future recommendations.

Community consultation has taken place before and during the pilot, with local businesses, four Business Improvements Areas, several neighbourhood associations and area residents. Further feedback will be gathered before making a recommendation on whether the pilot should be made permanent next year.

More information is available on the ActiveTO Midtown Complete Street Pilot webpage.

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.