Today the CLRA Executive will be meeting with Councillor Josh Matlow to deliver our concerns about the drastic changes the proposal for Bathurst St. will mean to our community:

Among our concerns:

  • The removal of parking and stopping 24/7 (instead of just during rush hours as current) will be devastating to the numerous businesses frequented by most of us. In most cases they will not be able to receive deliveries and therefore permanent closure is inevitable.
  • People with handicaps will not be able to be discharged for shopping, dining, medical appointments, places of worship, etc.
  • Traffic will spill over onto neighbourhood streets as traffic looks for alternative routes to their destination because of the increase in congestion and restricted turns e.g. traffic will not be able to turn east off Bathurst between Davenport and Harbord and traffic for the Allen Rd. trying to turn left will block the only through lane between Strathern and Eglinton
  • We doubt the validity of much of the data being used e.g. the statement that people driving between Eglinton Ave. West and Lake Shore Blvd. West can expect their trips to increase by approximately 4 minutes during peak rush hours – despite a reduction in road capacity of 50% over the 7km and the backups caused where left turn and through traffic share the same lane.
  • There is no mention of the likely transfer of bus passengers to the Eglinton LRT or through the passageway between Bathurst and the St. Clair W. subway incorporated into the new complex under construction at Bathurst and St. Clair.
  • There is no need for urgency as the City states because of the 6 World Cup games next year at BMO Field. These games can be expertly managed by day of game restrictions such as those in place for the 6 Taylor Swift concerts at the much larger Rogers Centre.
  • There is a need for more study and consultation with businesses and with residents directly impacted and the development of more pertinent data. The consultation used in this case was hurried and not as inclusive as it needs to be. We agree that our transportation system is in need of improvement but not at the expense of more traffic congestion, loss of business and increased traffic on nearby residential streets.
  • We question the City’s position that there cannot be any enforcement of traffic on the bus lanes if they are only used during rush hour. This brings into question the integrity of the study as it ignores the bus lanes in place during rush hours on Bay Street and other Toronto streets over many years. It also doesn’t consider the use of camera enforcement technology now is use in many places.

We have received many comments from residents of Casa Loma and we thank you for them and we thank you for participating in the City Survey. We also will bring to your attention a Petition that has been organized by the business community on Bathurst south of Dupont. Please see their website PROTECTBATHURST.CA and consider signing their Petition. Over 1200 people have signed in the past few days.

The CLRA encourages the expansion of our public transportation system as long as it is done in a sensible and balanced fashion. The Bathurst Plan as currently proposed fails in this regard.